Call for cradle-to-grave product recycling

By Sharon McLeay Times Contributor

Many consumers adhere to the recycle, reuse and reduce philosophy for things they purchase. Yet it is frustrating when recyclables can’t be made into something else, or there is no one to reuse items and they end up in the dump.
Now, more emphasis has been placed on producers/manufacturers to assume responsibility for the products they produce.
Wheatland County is putting a suggestion out to other rural municipalities, to ask the Alberta government through the Rural Municipalities Association (RMA), to bring about extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations for Alberta.
“I think it speaks to all the issues concerning EPR and its impact on recycling. There is lots of background information that has already been done by AUMA (Alberta Urban Municipalities Association) and (its) waste management hub (program), as well as the Recycling Council of Alberta,” said Amber Link, Wheatland County reeve.
EPR regulations cover products from cradle to grave. This means manufacturers have to find ways to deal with the physical and financial aspects of disposing or reclaiming materials they produce.
They may choose to offer a return policy where end-of-life products are returned to the company or point of purchase. They may set up a rebate to cover recycling operations for their product. There could be tax incentives and import taxes for goods entering Canada from other countries. Often businesses will join producer responsibility organizations which contract a company to carry out the end-of-life responsibilities for all the member’s products. Sometimes they form partnerships with municipalities that take on operational roles, and the business pays for the expenses.
The push for this legislation has stemmed from municipalities being overburdened with waste that is quickly filling up land as dumpsites. Many municipalities also have recycling programs and pay for the management and disposal of many products. Alberta municipalities could save up to $70 million per year if the EPR policy is approved. Alberta is the only province that currently does not have legislated EPR.
The trick for a successful program is to have producers/manufacturers buy into the plan. Many companies have willingly implemented greener policies for their products. The examination of the distribution chain needed for adherence to the EPR program often highlights inefficiencies and saves a company money in the long term.
If passed, the government would regulate the process and levy penalties for non-compliant companies. It is felt the definition of producer and standards developed in Alberta would match with similar initiatives in other provinces. If the initiative is successful, there will be some development steps needed to get the program functional. Education for consumers about the recycle loops will also be needed.
There are successful programs worldwide and they have found that EPR significantly reduces waste, evens the playing field for businesses (no expensive glitzy packaging), leads to innovation and new business development ideas, lowers costs for municipalities and lowers costs for producers.