Extended producer responsibility for packaging is continuing to scale in parts of Canada as the country works to address concerns about plastic waste.
According to a 2018 World Bank report, Canadians produce over 4 pounds of waste per day — more than double the global average — and rates are predicted to rise by 2050. Environment and Climate Change Canada, a federal agency, reports that Canadians throw away over 3 million metric tons of plastic waste every year; half of that is plastic packaging, and only 9% is recycled.
Under the lens of climate change, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has committed “to taking action within their jurisdiction to improve Canada’s record on reducing and recycling waste.” The group cites specific policy focused on plastics, including EPR, as necessary to meeting these goals.
ECCC is also focused on converting the current “take-make-waste” system to a “make-use-return” model. In November 2018, Canada set a federal, provincial and territorial strategy of “zero plastic waste” by 2030 to address this issue.
“These shared stakeholder commitments are leading the initiative toward our 2030 zero plastic goals and are being implemented through two Action Plan phases,” said Samantha Bayard, a ECCC spokesperson, noting the potential for Canada to “save $500 million of annual costs, create 42,000 direct and indirect jobs, and prevent 1.82 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.”
The first phase, laid out in 2019 by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, described EPR as “one of the most effective mechanisms to support the creation of a circular economy.” The plan created targets for collection and recycling performance for companies or organizations implementing programs, which Bayard said will be “a leading approach for reducing plastic waste in a cost-efficient and responsible manner.”
From coffee cups to compost
Ontario has been scaling its Blue Box EPR program for multiple years, including an expansion into two new categories during recent months.
The province has led the recycling arena in Canada since 1975 when a counterculture nonprofit called Is Five Foundation launched the first roadside, multi-material pickup system in Canada. Co-founder Jack McGinnis drove his own pickup truck to collect cardboard boxes, and by 1977 there were an estimated 4,000 residents participating. McGinnis became known as the “father of the blue box.”
Following the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act of 2016, that program is in the midst of another evolution that is set to be complete by the end of 2025.
Under the lens of climate change, the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has committed “to taking action within their jurisdiction to improve Canada’s record on reducing and recycling waste.” The group cites specific policy focused on plastics, including EPR, as necessary to meeting these goals.
ECCC is also focused on converting the current “take-make-waste” system to a “make-use-return” model. In November 2018, Canada set a federal, provincial and territorial strategy of “zero plastic waste” by 2030 to address this issue.
“These shared stakeholder commitments are leading the initiative toward our 2030 zero plastic goals and are being implemented through two Action Plan phases,” said Samantha Bayard, a ECCC spokesperson, noting the potential for Canada to “save $500 million of annual costs, create 42,000 direct and indirect jobs, and prevent 1.82 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.”
The first phase, laid out in 2019 by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, described EPR as “one of the most effective mechanisms to support the creation of a circular economy.” The plan created targets for collection and recycling performance for companies or organizations implementing programs, which Bayard said will be “a leading approach for reducing plastic waste in a cost-efficient and responsible manner.”
From coffee cups to compost
Ontario has been scaling its Blue Box EPR program for multiple years, including an expansion into two new categories during recent months.
The province has led the recycling arena in Canada since 1975 when a counterculture nonprofit called Is Five Foundation launched the first roadside, multi-material pickup system in Canada. Co-founder Jack McGinnis drove his own pickup truck to collect cardboard boxes, and by 1977 there were an estimated 4,000 residents participating. McGinnis became known as the “father of the blue box.”
Following the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act of 2016, that program is in the midst of another evolution that is set to be complete by the end of 2025.
Circular Materials is also collaborating with Nespresso to offer its Green Bag recycling program in London, Ontario, a city of more than 423,000 residents.