Two of Ontario’s not-for-profit, producer-created organizations are collaborating to help meet beverage container targets. Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) and the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association (CBCRA) are developing a comprehensive recycling program for beverage containers collected in blue bins and public spaces across Ontario.
CMO and CBCRA are collaborating to provide beverage producers with the compliance services required to meet their obligations under the province’s Blue Box Regulation. The Blue Box Regulation requires producers to assume responsibility for the collection and management of blue box materials from municipalities between 2023 and 2025.
The organizations will jointly support producers by establishing a collection system for beverage containers, carrying out consumer promotion and education, reporting to the regulator and meeting Ontario’s ambitious targets to collect and manage 75 per cent of beverage containers supplied in the province by 2026, and 80 per cent by 2030.
Nicole Fischer, Chair of Circular Materials
“As a not-for-profit, producer-created and governed organization, Circular Materials is pleased to be collaborating with another not-for-profit, producer- governed organization to support beverage producers with meeting their obligations under the Blue Box Regulation,” said Nicole Fischer, chair of Circular Materials.
“Both of our organizations share a vision of building Ontario’s blue box recycling system on a foundation of fair, open, competitive procurement while expanding collection services to public spaces and special events to meet Ontario’s beverage container management targets.”
Ontario’s Blue Box Regulation will require producers selling beverage containers in the province to meet management targets based on beverage containers supplied to consumers not only for personal, family, and household use, but also for business purposes. Beverage containers include aluminum cans, glass bottles, milk cartons, juice boxes, and plastic bottles.
As much as 30 per cent of beverage products are consumed away from home. As a result, beverage producers will require a collection system to supplement blue box collection to meet the targets in the Blue Box Regulation.
To increase beverage container recycling away from home, CBCRA, in collaboration with CMO, will operate a supplemental collection and management system modelled after the very successful Recycle Everywhere program.
CBCRA’s Recycle Everywhere program in Manitoba has achieved the greatest recovery growth of any beverage container recovery system in North America in the last 10 years. With CMO and CBCRA’s collective capabilities and expertise, the organizations are positioned to meet Ontario’s beverage container management targets.
Jim Goetz, chair of CBCRA.
“In addition to its recovery growth achievements, CBCRA’s Recycle Everywhere program, which started with virtually no away from home recycling infrastructure, has become one of Manitoba’s most recognized brands,” says Jim Goetz, chair of CBCRA.
“The organization intends to leverage its knowledge, experience and success to implement an expansive away from home recovery system in Ontario, including the provision of free collection infrastructure to the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors. These initiatives will be supported by the award-winning promotion and education CBCRA is recognized for.”
For further information, visit recycleeverywhere.ca
Featured image by Nick Fewings @unsplash.
