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Photo courtesy City of Richmond

Empowering local business with zero waste goals

Published 11:51 PDT, Fri March 28, 2025

In their own words…

There has been a lot of talk about supporting our local businesses this past month. Go Canada! Here at home, it is obvious that Richmond’s consumers are taking meaningful action to support our businesses, through buying local products and choosing local service providers.

I’d like to highlight two of the focus areas of the Council Strategic Plan that are currently in place:

• “work collaboratively and proactively to attract and retain businesses to support a diversified economic base” and

• “encourage waste reduction and sustainable choices in the City and community.”

While attending the most recent Mayor’s annual address, I was talking to a local business leader who enthusiastically showed me some handouts he had just picked up regarding the Business Recycling Resources Program. It provides businesses with free support to implement sustainable waste management best practices, customized coaching, training workshops, and many more resources.

As a science teacher, I know that interactive lessons produce the best results. As a father, I see the same with my kids where they learn habits that come along with answering the question, “Why Dad?”

What makes Richmond’s Business Recycling program unique?

• Our toolkit is designed to meet businesses where they are at on the waste management spectrum. To go beyond identifying gaps and appropriately addressing them.

• Our knowledgeable City staff perform site assessments alongside business owners/operators. Having our staff do this allows us to meet the business members of our community as well as reach City goals. Tailoring feedback to each business’s unique needs is our adaptation of personalized learning.

• Our program is adjustable and responds to feedback. One illustrative example occurred when we learned of limitations due to property managers following the status quo, leading to minimal recycling plans. In response, our staff created specific toolkit sections for property managers to gain relevant information to help facilitate discussions on effective waste management.

The result: a win-win-win - for the environment, the local economy, and the people who work/shop at the businesses. My gratitude to all the 316 (and counting) Richmond businesses that engaged in the door-to-door visits. The City is looking forward to opportunities to showcase businesses that have completed steps towards improving their recycling. In 2021, the regional commercial recycling rate was 48 per cent. Let’s move the dial up on that number in 2025.

As the City’s representative on the Metro Vancouver Zero Waste Committee, I am proud to share the many innovative aspects of how we continue to do better.

Sunday, March 30 is International Day of Zero Waste. Let’s take the opportunity to remind ourselves to integrate zero waste initiatives into our daily habits and reinforce those important 5Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot! Do it for us. Do it for our children and the future.