OP/ED: MLA Conroy tours/praises area recycling facility
By Katrine Conroy
Did you know that Trail is the location of one of the most vital facilities on the west coast for keeping waste and hazardous materials out of landfills?
Last month I had the pleasure of visiting K-C Recycling Ltd. It’s the largest car battery recycler in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the continent! They also process electronics and cathode ray tube (CRT) glass. Everything generated by their recycling process get sold back into the economy to be reused, as part of the circular economy. A circular economy keeps production waste out of landfills and minimizes the environmental impact of industry. It is a concept that many industries are moving towards as the need to do things sustainably becomes more and more urgent.
General Manager Pete Stamper gave us the tour. We were joined by Jacomien van Tonder (Director of Metal Tech Alley), and Rebecca Richards (Director of Lower Columbia Initiatives Corporation).
Did you know every part of a car battery is recycled and refabricated into new car batteries? Check out the photos to see what recycled lead looks like.
One of the biggest recycling problems we face these days is plastics. There are simply not enough plastic recycling facilities to handle all the waste we create. That’s why it was so important for our government to support KC Recycling with an $852,997 grant through the CleanBC Plastics Action Fund for an expansion to their facility. You can see the new machinery from this expansion in the photos. The resulting recycled plastic gets sold back into the manufacturing system as part of the never-ending cycle.
Another great part of this story is that KC Recycling provides meaningful, rewarding employment to 70 local employees, and it’s still growing.
We can all be proud that this important environmental work is being done right here in the West Kootenays. Many thanks to Pete for the tour and his extensive knowledge of the recycling industry. Thanks also to Kevin Hamill (Engineering Manager) and Miles Larsen (Business Development Manager), and for sharing your knowledge!
To learn more about KC Recycling, the circular economy, and a quick video tour of the facility, check out this page: https://metaltechalley.com/circular-economy-role-model…/
For more info about government supported recycling initiatives, check out this news feed: https://news.gov.bc.ca/Search?q=plastic+recycling
