THE PULSE Newsletter of the Canadian Association of Recycling Industries Vol. 21, Issue 2, February 2016

THE PULSE

NEWSLETTER OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF RECYCLING INDUSTRIES

Vol. 21, Issue 2, February 2016

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change has proposed an entirely new waste management strategy for the province, one that shares characteristics with British Columbia’s Recycling Regulation – a piece of legislation that replaced all earlier regulations and was meant to usher in full extended producer responsibility. This is not the first attempt by Ontario policymakers to pass this type of legislation and other provinces will likely follow suit.
Bill 151 – The Waste-Free Ontario Act, sets ambitious goals of creating a zero-waste/circular economy by establishing an entirely new producer responsibility regime. Producers, rather than taxpayers or municipalities, would be fully responsible for the cost of disposing the products they create.

The bill could be highly significant for our industry. Neither the draft bill and supplementary strategy, nor consultations, have given a clear indication of how our industry would fit into the new product stewardship regime. One possible concern for recyclers is that some targeted materials may be removed from existing streams, which is why CARI has asked to be included in discussions of which materials will be targeted for stewardship. In addition, we are once again advocating for definitions that clearly separate secondary resources from waste.

CARI strongly maintains that governments should not interrupt existing markets for well-managed materials. Ideally, legislation should shift emphasis from collection to creating a market for recycled materials and recyclability by incentivizing manufacturers to design recyclable products made of recycled content. Procurement policies should also be implemented so that collected materials are used in the production of new goods.

CARI members should be aware of any proposed stewardship legislations at the provincial level, and we ask that you provide us with any feedback or potential concerns you may have. The more information you can give CARI staff, the better equipped we are to lobby on your behalf.

Adam Chisick

CARI Chair

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

BLUMER LAPOINTE TULL & ASSOCIÉS SYNDICS INC., a medium-sized restructuring (bankruptcy) firm in Montreal, occasionally requires recycling services when they are liquidating facilities. They approached CARI for information regarding recyclers operating in Ontario and Quebec. To discuss potential business opportunities, contact Olivier Boyd at [email protected] or 514-686-4015.

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FAST FACTS

• British Columbia’s Ministry of Environment has denied approval for StewardChoice’s Packaging and Printed Paper Plan. The plan would provide another option for producers, and potentially create competition for B.C.’s existing residential collection services, MMBC. Though recycling regulations in the province allow for more than one recycling plan per product, the Ministry raised four specific objections to the proposal. StewardChoice intends to appeal the Ministry’s decision shortly.

• Washington-based American Iron and Steel Association president and chief executive officer, Thomas J. Gibson, would like to see specific timelines and strategies established for how China will implement steel capacity cuts. Multilateral discussions such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meeting on overcapacity, and the U.S.-China bilateral talks on steel may clarify the amount of steel China will remove. Though China has said it will cut steel capacity by 100 million to 150 tonnes, there is no set plan for how this will occur. Gibson believes the OECD also needs to address overcapacity in other countries, and is hoping a piece of legislation entitled the Enforcing Orders and Reducing Circumvention and Evasion Act will help strengthen the U.S. steel industry, if passed. 

• Ontario politician David Orazetti is lobbying for government support of measures backed by the Canadian Steel Producers Association. Orazetti wants to see policies that would support both cases moving faster through the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT), and more onsite investigations into companies accused of onsite dumping. Orazetti’s call to action comes after two of Canada’s three integrated steel producers filed for protection from creditors under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. The CITT recently ruled that Russian and Indian steel imports were not harming Canada’s steel industry.

• Eco Enterprises Quebec (EEQ), a product stewardship organization, plans to improve glass recycling in the province by investing $6.7 million to improve sorting and market development. EEQ will partner with recycling equipment provider Quebec-based Machinex and Krysteline Technologies, a British technology manufacturing company, to implement the three-component strategy. TheInnovative Glass Works plan will involve installing Krysteline Technologies’ glass sorting and cleaning equipment in some sorting centres to expose processors to the technology. Quebec equipment providers will also be asked to propose additional equipment concepts for research and development projects. Finally, financing will be sought for marketing companies to promote improvements in glass processing. 

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Canadian Association of Recycling Industries

130 Albert Street Suite 1906

Ottawa, On K1P 5G4

Canada

Telephone: 613-728-6946

Fax: 705-835-6196