The PC government has finalized its effort to overhaul Ontario's blue box program.

The move represents a major shift from a cost-shared model between municipalities and producers to an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model. And while it will shift some costs off the books for Ontario's municipalities, environmental advocates expressed some early doubts that the new system does not go far enough for its targets and lacks sufficient oversight.

The program will see costs shift to producers in an effort to incentivize them to be more mindful of the packaging and materials they create. It is expected to save Ontario municipalities about $150 million, although producers could pass some of the costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices for goods.

The program will be phased in through most of the province from 2023–25, and into the far north by 2026. Materials that can be put into the blue box will be consistent across the province, and common single-use goods like paper plates and cups will be recyclable.

"Our goal is to ensure our program remains convenient, affordable and right for communities," said Environment Minister Jeff Yurek. "That’s why we are creating a stronger and more effective blue box service that will have some of the highest waste diversion targets in North America to promote greater innovations in recycling technologies and increased use of recycled materials."

Yurek referred to the government's overhaul of Ontario's industry — where the blue box program was originally invented almost 50 years ago — as a "bold step."

For environmental watchers, it was not bold enough.

"This was a missed opportunity," said Emily Alfred, a waste campaigner for the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

She said that the principle of producer responsibility — that companies that produce the packaging and waste they produce should be responsible for the recycling costs — is a good one. But she criticized the government for lowering recycling diversion targets from what they had stated last fall, including flexible plastics going down to 25 per cent. "We need high targets and good enforcement," to make an effective program, she said.

She also pointed out that the regulations only cover residential waste, which represents just one-third of the total in the province, and that companies will self-report on that waste contributions and will see an audit every three years. "That's a long time to wait when we have a plastics crisis in the world," she commented.

The recycling industry in Ontario has been facing difficult situations for a while now. Much of the country's recyclable goods get sold abroad for reuse, but recently China enacted stricter measures on the waste it will accept, contributing to lower values for recyclable goods across the board. Diversion rates in the province have proven stagnant for some time, and some newer materials have proven more difficult and costly to recycle.

"Overall, this will not change practices," said Karen Wirsig of Environmental Defence. She pointed to the fact that the 2030 diversion target was lowered from 90 per cent last fall to 85 per cent following consultation with industry. She also said that the regulation is silent on things like waste at public events and streets, and that this needs to be addressed in order to be effective. And she pointed out that there remain loopholes that allow companies to label packages as "compostable," a broad category with loose guidelines, as a means of evading their recycling responsibilities.

"We will be following closely the implementation of this regulation closely," she told QP Briefing.

Green Leader Mike Schreiner also worried about the future of plastics and urged the government to go further. "While I’m in support of the blue box changes, Ford must immediately ban single-use plastic bottles and coffee cups in Ontario if we want to get serious on tackling plastic pollution," he stated.

Government unveils ‘bold’ new blue box program, critics urge it to go further

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