In three weeks, commercial cardboard will no longer be allowed at the Knockholt Landfill due to the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako reinstating its cardboard ban.
The ban will be in effect starting August 1.
According to a statement by the regional district, since Smithers lost its recycling facility in 2019, the landfill has been receiving and landfilling cardboard from the western portion of the RDBN.
The RDBN said the ban is to extend the lifetime of the landfill and prevent further impacts.
Smithers Deputy Mayor Gladys Atrill said a new way of dealing with cardboard is being looked into and a commercial cardboard survey can be found on the regional districts website.
“I urge people to take it to help provide that information, we just have to find a solution for recycling commercial cardboard and the regional district is aware and we all know but we haven’t found the answer,” she said.
According to Atrill, this is not a surprise to Smithers businesses.
She also said this is a potentially huge expense for businesses.
“No one knows this more intimately then the businesses, they know what it costs them to dispose of cardboard and if we can’t find a solution those costs are going way up so we really have to do that and I’m not trying to put this on businesses but the participation will be welcome,” she said.
The topic of recycling was brought up during the 2020 Mayor Luncheon by businesses but according to Atrill Telkwa and Smithers were given the option for the town to drive its cardboard to Terrace.
Both communities declined the offer.
Telkwa and Smithers have been without curbside pick up for recycling since the fire last year.