Dual stream not a solution

I'm already hearing people say we can solve the PackagingAndPrintedPaper problem by collecting paper one week and packaging the next. This is what they do in Ottawa.

The rationale for this pickup schedule is that it keeps the materials separate, while also maintaining some sort of economies of scale by making use of the same fleet of trucks.

But this economy of scale benefits packaging unfairly: the containers continue to be collected at a loss, while the paper pays more than its way.

Let's take care of paper, and let packaging figure out a system of its own... like, for instance, joining the deposit/refund system?

Let's start with paper

OK, MMBC has asked for an extension of the deadline for submitting its recycling plan for PackagingandPrintedPaper. While they dither, let's get going with a new plan a plan for PrintedPaper. Let's get the Paper Chain together in this province and craft a stewardship program that:

• gives right of first refusal to municipalities and social enterprises for collection of all grades of paper from single family and multi-family residences in the province -- with the condition that the paper must be collected separately from containers (eat that, MMBC!)
• establishes a BC Grade of recovered paper and has a design competition for industries that can do something with it (e.g. how about somebody to manufacture a compost-grade paper (100% recycled content sourced in BC) and somebody to convert it into handy countertop bags for folks to collect food scraps in before dumping them in with their yard waste (100,000 new consumers of this product were just created by Mayor Robertson's announcement of City food scraps collection service)

Any takers, BC newspaper publishers? Way simpler than a refinery in Kitimat....