British Columbia will include fuel canisters in the province’s EPR program in the coming years. | Timothy Yue / Shutterstock
The British Columbia government released a five-year plan for adding mattresses, electric vehicle batteries, fuel canisters and other materials into the province’s extended producer responsibility law.
Stewardship Ontario reported 729,906 metric tons of recyclables were collected in 2019, representing a 57.3% recycling rate.| keikona / Shutterstock
Stewardship Ontario, which helps fund that province’s residential recycling program, reported a lower recycling rate for 2019 than the year before. Less newsprint entering the recycling stream drove the decrease.
Recycle BC’s recent annual report noted a 90% recovery rate for paper, 52% for plastic, and 85% for metal. | pryzmat / Shutterstock
In 2020, a producer-funded system for paper and packaging recycling achieved a significantly higher recovery rate – and spent more money – than the year prior.
Sustana has long had the ability to use aseptic and gable-top cartons as feedstock, at both its U.S. and Canadian facilities. | SunnyToys / Shutterstock
A North American mill operator is sourcing multi-layer cartons to make up for a decline in recycled paper tied to pandemic shutdowns.
Officials estimate shifting funding responsibility completely to producers will save municipalities an estimated 156 million Canadian dollars (about $129 million U.S.) per year. | Sunset Blue / Shutterstock
The Ontario government will make producers fully financially responsible for recycling their products, a major expansion of the province’s extended producer responsibility system. The changes will come into effect within the next four years.
In survey responses, MRFs reported that average value of curbside recyclables went up considerably in the fourth quarter of 2020. | jantsarik/Shutterstock
Recycling processors know that 2020 ended strongly when it comes to commodity values. Two recent surveys quantify the blended-value boost.
Because the U.S. is not a party to the Basel Convention, exports to the 180-plus countries that are parties to the convention will be more complicated, or may even be prohibited by local laws. | AnkaFed/Shutterstock
The U.S. government has made public an agreement with Canada to continue scrap plastic shipments despite global regulations tightening next year. Environmental advocates are troubled by the deal.
The average value of a ton of recyclables dropped in the U.S. Northeast and Ontario in the third quarter. | Camillo Clauser/Shutterstock
Average commodity values tumbled by about one-fifth during the third quarter, according to a survey of northeastern U.S. MRFs. A price sheet for Ontario showed the same downward trend.
