Alberta putting the financial burden of recycling on producers under new program

Starting April 1, producers will have to pay fees based on the weight and type of packaging they use. The money will fund recycling across Alberta.

Starting Tuesday, the financial burden of recycling single-use products in Alberta will shift from municipalities to the companies that produce them.

It’s part of the province’s new extended producer responsibility (EPR) program.

The province says EPR will ultimately keep thousands of kilograms of waste out of Alberta landfills because companies will be encouraged to find new ways to reduce waste and design products that are more recyclable and reusable.

The new systems will centralize, standardize and streamline recycling among municipalities, which will help reduce the cost in many cases.

EPR has two programs that focus on two main types of waste, single-use products like packaging and printed paper, and hazardous and special products like batteries and flammables.

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“Producers have to pay fees based on the amount of packaging they supply into the marketplace, and they’ll pay different fees for things like plastic versus cardboard, and it’s all based on the weight of material,” said Allen Langdon of Circular Materials.

“If they put in 2,000 kg of material, they’re going to pay a per-kilogram rate for that material.

“We use that money to fund the recycling across the province.”

The province says Calgary, Red Deer and Lethbridge have already noted that recycling fees will be lowered because of the system.

Most municipalities will begin operating under the new EPR programs starting on Tuesday.

The province says some municipalities need extra time and will join the program in July, some of them getting recycling services for the first time in their histories.

Alberta sends 1,034 kg of waste per person to landfills annually, more than any other Canadian jurisdiction. The national average is 710 kg per person per year.

The Alberta Recycling Management Authority will oversee the EPR programs.