Interview with Westcoast Plastic Recycling- Peter (Part Two)

A few days back, we went to the Westcoast Plastic Recycling plant to speak with Peter and check out their facilities. It was a great experience, and we have some pictures below as well. Before reading this article, check out our first article with Peter here if you haven't yet.


1) How is the industry looking right now
As a market, it’s getting better. There was a major market crash back in 2007, but pricing increases are getting back to levels before the crash. The quality standards are higher now, and everything has to be separated now, including Styrofoam and shrink wrap. Overall, it looks good.

2) Are people becoming more knowledgeable about plastic recycling?
Yes, especially since there are more public knowledge campaigns now. We deal with mostly commercial and institutional grade-a plastic though, and usually, people who are interested in plastic recycling know their stuff.

3) Why did you get into plastic recycling?
There are lots of benefits. First off, plastic doesn't decompose well (approximately 10000 yrs). It also lets off bad emissions. We take plastics out of the waste stream, and that reduces cost of waste pickup overall, since we sometimes do it for free. We usually either pick-it up for free or at a low price of $10. It reduces garbage costs for companies significantly.


4) Is it difficult to educate people about the harms of plastic/plastic recycling?
We aren't really trying to educate people. For the most people, people do know the harms. Everybody in Vancouver is environmentally conscious. An example of this is that some people even take buses and public transportation from Vancouver to drop off plastics.

5) Advice for students?
Go to the recycling council of BC. There is a yearly conference in which any recycling company in BC can go to. Go to their meetings and network, and you’ll learn quite a bit.

6) Where do you see this company in 1 year? In 5 years?
In 1 year, we will still be here. We just moved to this location. We’ve almost doubled in business since we started 6 years ago. Started free, but started charging. Contracts. We likely won’t double business this year due to already quick expansion. 3500 customers this year