Millions of Metres of Galvanized Rope Spared from Coastal Waters

British Columbia's forest companies aren't alone in facing the challenges that come with transporting logs along a rugged coastline. They are the first however, to adopt a recycling process for the 15 million metres of log bundling strand used to harness the logs that make the journey. Until recently, recycling options for this material were very limited. Prior to recent practices, once the logs reached the mills, bundles would be broken, typically discarding 75 per cent of the strand to pollute coastal waterways.

In an effort to protect the environment from this waste, Environment Canada's Disposal at Sea Program has successfully adopted a process for recycling this material. The Log Bundling Strand Recycling Initiative is a government-industry collaborative effort, involving more than 160 stakeholders, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the forest industry, log bundling strand producers, recycling companies, and dredging contractors.

Changing Practices

Environment Canada's long-term goal was to change the way bundling strand was managed in British Columbia. Since less than 3.4 million metres of strand was being recycled annually, the need for a sustainable alternative was clear. Consideration was given to the costs and benefits to the Canadian public, the environment, the forest industry, the economy, and whether current methods of disposal are the most practical and efficient option.

Getting industry on board was the key component to implementing change. This initiative was easily accepted by industry once they were presented with the economic benefits of recycling the strand. As a first step, forest companies, recyclers and dredging contractors were polled concerning their bundle wire handling practices. A video and educational poster campaign was distributed to about 150 companies along the coast.

As of April 1, 2003 permits for disposal at sea state that log-bundling strand is no longer allowed at the designated disposal sites. Proponents must clearly demonstrate environmentally responsible bundle strand handling practices prior to receiving a permit.

Making a Difference

The Log Bundling Strand Recycling Initiative began in the spring of 2001. Since then the amount of wire collected from mills for recycling has increased 20-fold. There have been significant increases and recycling companies expect they can recover 90 per cent of the bundling strand entering coastal waterways by 2005.

The rapidly increasing industry support coupled with the social, economic and environmental benefits of bundling strand recycling are making positive changes. Some measures of the success of the Initiative include:

• Increased recycling of bundling strand from 195 tonnes in 2001 to 1664 tonnes in 2003;
• A doubling of the length of recycled strand sold in British Columbia between 2001 and 2003 - equating to less money leaving Canada to purchase new wire overseas;
• Benefits to local economy - businesses are incurring fewer costs due to repairs, downtime and injuries, and costs are reduced by buying recycled strand while creating jobs for local recycling companies;
• A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions due to less waste being transported to disposal sites and recycled wire requiring shorter transportation than new wire.