Ontario says the companies that produce recyclable waste – such as plastic bottles, packaging and newsprint – will take over the operation and entire cost of the province’s “blue box” curbside recycling program over the next six years.
“It’s clear the blue box program has become unsustainable,” Mr. Yurek said, adding that the changes will save municipalities millions, encourage producers to reduce waste and create new recycling businesses in Ontario – rather than shipping recyclables overseas. A transition to a system to see private industry cover the entire $250-million cost of the system – instead of leaving half the bill for municipalities – has been in the works in Ontario for more than a decade. The concept, implemented in B.C. and known as “extended producer responsibility,” is supported in principle by a broad range of the province’s business community, which hopes to make the recycling system more efficient.
He predicts the move will fail as industry groups will not be able to agree on how much they should each pay for the new system: “They are just letting industry off the hook again.”
Well, at east labour rates will be more in check! Can’t imagine cash and pension for life for putting plastic bottles in a bin.
BC’s program produces real results (still a long way to go on the design-for-environment file) and is a great system to model. Waste producers (and their product consumers) should rightly bear the full cost of this material at end-of-life.
uh huh. In other news, conservatives to put criminals in charge of criminal justice system and who will fund it from proceeds of crime.
Prediction: It turns a profit with less curbside sorting in 2 years.
Producing?