The cost of recycling hazardous materials will no longer be a municipal responsibility and will instead fall on the shoulders of manufacturers, Ontario’s environment minister has vowed.
For the past 10 months, eco fees have been the responsibility of municipalities. The fee pays for the recycling of materials such as batteries, mercury lightbulbs and fertilizers.
"We will be asking producers to take responsibility for the end-of-life for all products in the system," Environment Minister Glen Murray Murray told CTV Toronto on Friday.
"The eco fees are dead….You can rest in peace."
It first appeared on thousands of household products in July 2010, but after widespread backlash from consumers, the provincial government said it would cover the cost.
The controversial fee, however, was later quietly downloaded to municipalities, so cities have had to cover the $2-million annual cost since last September, the Recycling Council of Ontario previously told CTV Toronto.
But now says a deal is in the works that will force companies that make the products to pick up the tab and absorb the eco fee.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
