Upcoming recycling rule changes offer challenges, opportunities
A radical change to the way Ontario recycles will be felt across the region, Catherine Habermebl, Niagara’s director of waste management services, told regional councillors last week.
The province has been working to establish a new recycling regime run by private-sector producers, who will also pick up the cost. The changes will save taxpayers in Niagara about $8 million a year and usher in changes when new regulations come into effect no later than Jan. 1, 2024, Habermebl said.
“The (Niagara) Region, along with many public and private stakeholders, have been advocating for the transition of the blue box program to producer responsibility framework for many years,” Habermebl said.
Over the past six years, the amount of material that has been recovered from the blue box program in Ontario has declined by 10 per cent, while costs have increased by more than $30 million during that same period, Habermebl said.
“The final regulations provide a good basis to move forward, and the province has responded to many of the concerns identified by the municipalities in the final regulations,” Habermebl said. “So the final regulations establish a consistent list of designated materials to be collected from all eligible communities.
Currently, Niagara collects something different than what may be collected in Toronto or Hamilton.”
Habermebl said the list has been expanded from the current Ontario program. Still, some items collected in Niagara — including hard and softcover books and packaging products made from flexible products — are not on the list.
“Currently, there are information gaps that exist because we are early in the process, and the discussions will need to take place with producers,” Habermebl said.
She said the annual saving will be reduced in the first year of the transition because the region will likely have to pay out current collection contractors for an early exit.
“To whom are the people of Niagara going to complain if there’s not satisfactory service?” region Chair Jim Bradley asked.
“Who is the heavy who ensures that the operator is actually going to do what the public wants? Right now, they can complain to our staff, or they can complain to regional councillors. So if we’re right out of it, how does the enforcement work?”
“Perhaps it’s our local MPP,” said St. Catharines Coun. Tim Rigby, who chairs the public works committee.
“That’s a question we’ve been asking all along. It’s something somehow we’re going to have to resolve.”
Also up in the air is the future of Niagara Recycling. The region owns the Niagara Falls facility, which has built a reputation for innovation over the decades and is the only facility in Ontario that produces a trademark product from recyclables, Niagara Ecoglass. The product is used by companies involved in sandblasting and landscaping.
Niagara Recycling also has a unique partnership with another non-profit organization, Niagara Training and Employment Agency (NTEC), which assists people with developmental disabilities.
Habermebl said the region is issuing an RFP to test the market to sell Niagara Recycling by the end of the summer, with a further report coming to the public works committee in August. Commercial, industrial and institutional properties are not included in the new regulations, though that may change, Habermebl said.
“The (Environment) Ministry has indicated that there will be further regulations coming down regarding blue box services to these properties. However, the region may want to continue to offer a collection of blue box materials to this sector. This could happen in two ways. We could negotiate with the producers to continue to provide the service, or we could go and contract out to for collection of the sector.”