Statement from Karen Wirsig, Senior Program Manager, Plastics

Toronto | Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat – Ontario is proposing to let companies off the hook for managing collection and recycling of the trashy plastic packaging that people bring home from the store. Proposed amendments to the Blue Box regulations could remove obligations for companies to manage the 80,000 tonnes of “flexible” plastic packaging they put on the market, including bags, wraps, films and pouches.

The point of introducing extended producer responsibility into the province’s Blue Box program in 2021 was to drive environmental improvements to packaging, which all too often ends up in landfills or incinerators. Companies vowed they could manage the packaging recycling program better and cheaper than municipalities. Instead, it looks like they have given up and lobbied the government to push responsibility for managing their wasteful practices back onto residents and municipalities. This will mean more waste, more litter and more plastic pollution in Ontario.

The government is also proposing to remove the obligation for these producers to pick up overflow packaging from households. If residents run out of room to put their packaging in the blue box, it will end up in the garbage — burdening our overflowing landfills and leaving municipalities to pay the bill — and further letting producers off the hook.

If the provincial government goes ahead with these changes, it will be rewarding bad behaviour from the companies that sell food and other packaged goods to people in Ontario. Instead, the government should stay the course on producer obligations to incentivize better decisions about packaging design. If flexible plastics are expensive to collect, sort and recycle, businesses should use much less of them. And to free up space in the blue box and keep billions of bottles and cans out of the curbside system and the environment, the province must expand the deposit-return system to include all beverage containers.

Background:

  • Ontario is inviting feedback on its proposal to amend the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act and the Blue Box regulations
  • The proposal considers among other changes:
    • exempting flexible films from the Blue Box Regulation, ending their collection outright
    • phasing out requirements to collect bagged or baled overflow materials, placed beside Blue Box receptacles
  • Despite widespread public support, the government has refused to align with most other provinces across Canada and introduce a comprehensive deposit-return program.

ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE (environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence is a leading Canadian environmental advocacy organization that works with government, industry and individuals to defend clean water, a safe climate and healthy communities.

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For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Carolyn Townend, Environmental Defence
media@environmentaldefence.ca