Recycling group blasts province for poor track record

‘There is no excuse’ for volume of waste, organization says

The Alberta government has ignored calls to improve recycling in the province, buttressing Alberta’s poor record on waste management, says a recycling advocacy group.

“Our overall frustration is … we are the most wasteful province in the country and there is no excuse for that,” Christina Seidel, executive director of the Recycling Council of Alberta, said recently. “We’re complete laggards.”

The province generates the largest amount of waste per capita in Canada, according to the most recent data. Statistics Canada reported that in 2014, Alberta recorded 981 kg of waste per capita compared to the national average of 701 kg. British Columbia and Saskatchewan reported 580 kg and 832 kg, respectively.

Alberta also had one of the lowest rates of diverting waste from landfills using recycling or composting — just under 20 per cent of total waste was diverted in 2014. That compared to a national rate of 36 per cent.

“We were over the moon when this government got elected,” Seidel said, citing an NDP proenvironment philosophy. But after waiting almost three years for changes and with a provincial election expected in 2019, Seidel said she’s worried it’s too late.

“We have never been successful in getting a meeting with our minister, which is unacceptable,” she said.

The recycling council advocated for the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR), a strategy where the onus to recycle is placed on manufacturers for products such as electronics, used oil and paint.

Seidel said Alberta has fallen behind in its obligations following a Canada-wide EPR action plan that was released by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment in 2009.

The last movement on the issue was in 2013 when Alberta’s Progressive Conservative government held consultations about EPR, Seidel said, but it didn’t result in concrete changes.

The government would need to consult with Albertans before endorsing EPR policies, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said Tuesday.

“It distresses me that Alberta lags behind other jurisdictions with respect to our waste diversion and just overall modernization of our recycling regulations,” she said.

“I’m certainly keen to get that work done. In fact, if you ask my department, I have been asking to get that work done for a couple of years now.”

She said while she hasn’t met personally with the recycling council, she stays informed about its work. The group has met with department officials.

“We’re a pretty busy government, and I’m a pretty busy environment minister,” Phillips said. “I really do care about this issue.”

The province should be setting goals for municipalities and helping city officials with recycling strategies, Seidel said.