Recycling Council of British Columbia

Annual Report2010 - 2011

RECYCLING COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIASuite 10 - 119 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6B 1S5

604.683.6009 www.rcbc.bc.ca

The Recycling Council of British Columbia (RCBC) is a multi-sectoral, non-profit organization promoting the principles of Zero Waste through information services, the exchange of ideas and research.

Mission Statement

The Recycling Council forsees a British Columbia in which 100 percent of product waste is managed in Extended Producer Responsibility programs, and 100 percent of compostable material is diverted to beneficial end-use, in accordance with the 3Rs hierarchy.

RCBC’s Vision

Table of Contents

Executive Director’s Report 2

Auditor’s Report 4

Statement of Financial Position 5

Statement of Operations 6

Our Partners and Supporters 7

Organizational Information 8

Executive Director’s Report

Facing ChallengesThe mission of the Recycling Council of British Columbia is a simple one. We promote the principals of zero waste through information services, research and the exchange of ideas.

How we accomplish that, however, is not so simple at all. The challenges are many and complex.

Unlike government, RCBC has no authority to impose change. Its only power is that of suggestion. It must there-fore position itself as an agent of change through strategic influence. To do this we shine the light of day on an idea, a policy direction or a better way of doing something, so others may recognize and accept the value presented. For the most part, this approach has worked well, particularly when we align our efforts with others who are working towards similar goals. For this reason, RCBC has focused much of its attention on building a bigger community of concern with strategic stakeholders, policy and decision makers that are in a position to influence change.

While it is difficult to attribute a set of specific metrics to our work in this area, we can point to some good universal results. For instance, B.C. now has 12 industry managed and funded Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs; more than any other jurisdiction in North America. This is due of course to the work of the B.C. Ministry of Environ-ment (MoE), and the cooperation of industry. But, it is also due to the support of RCBC and its membership as a whole.

As an organization, RCBC has supported and promoted EPR as a primary tool to achieve waste reduction in partner-ship with the B.C. MoE. As we continue to support those programs with information services, public education and recomendations for improved performance, we are looking ahead for the next set of challenges on the EPR front. As we work towards closing the loop we’ve started to focus on the economic opportunities that are present at the end of the product life cycle. But the most important stage looking forward is to look back through the pipeline to the beginnings of product development, where design for environment can influence waste reduction at all stages of production. To affect design is to affect all other outcomes.

We’re also encouraged by the amount of attention now focused on diverting organics from the municipal waste stream. Member regional districts such as Nanaimo are approaching a 70 percent diversion rate due in part to diverting organics from residential, commercial and institutional settings. Combined with a growing set of EPR programs the possibility for more meaningful waste reduction is within our grasp.

Fiscal ManagementThe biggest challenge for most nonprofits is funding. RCBC is no exception. Several years ago, we moved to diversify our revenue streams to a broader variety of sources that included special events, projects and contract services. This included an expansion of Hotline services to new stewardship programs here in B.C. and to some existing programs in Alberta. We negotiated further sponsorship of new reuse sites as well as the phase II development of the Recyclepedia by a number of industry stewards.

RCBC Executive DirectorBrock Macdonald

RCBC Annual Report 2010/2011 2

In partnership with the B.C. MoE we developed a new event focused entirely on EPR as a way to introduce new stewards to their regulatory obligations and industry stakeholders to the expanding system of industry stewardship. With the success of the 2010 BC EPR workshop, RCBC will look to expand the focus to a national or even North American scope to promote the B.C. regulatory framework as a preferred model for industry product stewardship.

CommunicationsWhen the Recycling Hotline was created through a partner-ship with the provincial government in 1990 the call-in service was cutting edge. At that time cell phones were the size of cinder blocks, the internet was in its infancy, and the only thing using tweets to communicate were birds.

Twenty one years later, the way humans communicate now depends on their demographic positioning. Seniors, Boomers, X-Gens and Millenials have different approaches, attitudes and methods of information gathering and communicating. Still more than 126,000 reached out to RCBC for answers.

So we’ve embraced new tools and technologies to reach as broad an audience as we can. Social media and marketing are becoming the implements of choice, in our communi-cations tool box, to reach a younger more socially aware audience. Whether we use the Hotline, the Recyclepedia, smart phone applications, texts, tweets, Facebook, Youtube or Vimeo we’ll reach out to British Columbians in as many ways as we can to effectively communicate our zero waste message.

Special ProjectsWith the success of our first annual Trailer Trashed Film Contest, we looked to reach a wider audience and develop an inventory of viral PSAs to use on a number of issues. Building on the success of the 50 films from our first year, RCBC’s plans continued through the past year to generate a growing number of films and interest from filmmakers around the world.

Policy DevelopmentRCBC continued to develop practical solutions to the issues of the day through our proactive approach to

waste reduction policy. Coordinated through the policy committee, working groups and RCBC’s in-house policy and research staff developed objective, data-based information and publications to assist individuals, local government and organizations with suggestions on waste reduction measures, methods on achieving zero waste and approaches to organics diversion.

Your RCBC team faced many challenges over the last year. But, with our members’ support, we moved ahead and continued towards the mission, never taking our eyes off the objective at hand and the end goal of a zero waste future in B.C.

Brock MacdonaldExecutive Director

RCBC Annual Report 2010/20113

Hotline Services & Social Media

RCBC Hotline & Recyclepedia - 129,400 contacts.

RCBC Website - 118, 448 visits.

Since September 2010 - 159 tweets to 688 followers,

- 274 Facebook members.

2010-2011 By the Numbers

RCBC Membership

2010 RCBC membership - 241

2011 RCBC membership - 286

BC Material Exchange Sites

RCBC Reuses sites members - 16, 079

RCBC Reuses sites exchanges - 2,092

Reuses sites diversion rates - 49,478 kgs.

GHG reductions savings - 4 tonnes

RCBC Annual Report 2010/2011 4

Auditor’s Report

RCBC Annual Report 2010/20115

RCBC Annual Report 2010/2011 6

RCBC Annual Report 2010/20117

Our Partners and Sponsors

The operations of the Recycling Council of British Columbia are funded by a diverse group of supporters including government, industry, granting foundations and members. Thanks to each and every one of these individuals and organizations for their support in the 2009/2010 fiscal year.

Partners

In-Kind Donations

Regional District Supporters

ABC Recycling Ltd.•Alberta Used Oil Management Association•Belkorp•Bentall Centre•BC Hydro•BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (gaming)•BC Ministry of Environment•BC Used Oil Management Association•BC Product Stewardship Council•Canada’s National Brewers•Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association•City of Surrey•Clorox•EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd•Electronics Stewardship Association of BC•Emterra•

Encore Pacific•Merlin Plastics•New West Gypsum•Post Consumer Pharmaceutical Stewardship Ass’n•Product Care Association•Rechargeable Batteries Recycling Corporation•Recycling council of Alberta•Reel Green•Shaw Industries•Teck Metals Ltd •Tire Stewardship BC •Township of Langley•Tree Marking Paint Stewardship•Urban Impact•Wastech Services Ltd•Waste Management•

Business In Vancouver (subscription)•Encorp Pacific (travel expenses)•Gorgeous and Green (prizes)•Innate Gear (prizes)•

London Drugs (prizes)•Urban Impact Recycling (recycling services) •Warner Bros. Environmental (prizes) •

Cariboo•Central Kootenay•Central Okanagan•Cowichan Valley•Fraser Valley•Metro Vancouver•Kootenay-Boundary•

Nanaimo•North Okanagan•Okanagan-Similkameen•Peace River•Powell River•Squamish Lillooet•Sunshine Coast•

Cariboo•Central Kootenay•Central Okanagan•Columbia Shuswap•Cowichan Valley•Fraser Valley•Kitimat-Stikine•Kootenay Boundary•

Nanaimo•North Okanagan•Okanagan - Similkameen•Peace River•Sunshine Coast •Thompson-Nicola•Sunshine Coast •

RCBC Hotline RCBC Materials Exchange

RCBC Annual Report 2010/2011 8

Organizational InformationThank you to the 2010-2011 RCBC Board of Directors and Staff!

2010/2011 Board of Directors

Buddy Boyd Gibsons Recycling Depot

Raymond Gaudart Individual Member

Clint Mahlman London Drugs

Alda Nicmans Individual Member

Sandy Sigmund Encorp Pacific

Mary-Em Waddington Computers for Schools

Eve-Lyn Wolters RD of Central Okanagan

President:Alan Stanley RD of Kootenay Boundary

Past President:Bert Monesmith Individual Member

Vice President:Dennis Kinsey Liquor Distribution Branch.

Treasurer: Greg Belland Teck Resources Ltd.

Secretary:Terri McClymont REAPS

Executive Officers Directors at Large

Policy Committee Chair: Dennis Kinsey

Brock Macdonald Executive Director

Anna Rochelle Director of Finance

Ben Ramos IT & Member Services Manager

Harvinder Gill Information Services Manager

Jesse Christophersen Senior Hotline Information Officer

Jennifer Ellis Special Projects Officer

Keran Braich Materials Exchange Officer

Julie Robertson Hotline Information Officer

RCBC Staff (as of June 1, 2011)

RECYCLING COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIASuite 10 - 119 West Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C., V6B 1S5

604.683.6009 www.rcbc.bc.ca

Report prepared by Brock MacdonaldPhoto and layout by Jennifer Ellis