Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – a policy approach in which a producer is made financially and physically responsible for ensuring the farm’s packaging is responsibly managed and recycled – will continue to evolve in Canada.

In Canada, legislated EPR residential recycling programs for packaging and printed paper are provincially regulated, but many of these programs are in the midst of shifting from their legacy models (cost-share, municipal-run programs) to full producer-responsibility models (100% producer funded and operated).

The Paper and Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council (PPEC) hopes that the evolution of EPR will result in improvements to recycling, including:

-  Harmonization of programs and greater economies of scale, which would see more materials being collected, processed, and ultimately recycled.

-  Improved consumer education, awareness, and participation.

-  Less contamination, cleaner materials, and an improved quality of feedstock.

-  More consistent and transparent data reported from stewardship organizations and producer responsibility organizations on the amount of obligated materials being collected, but most importantly, how much of those materials are actually recycled, by material type, across all legislated provincial programs.

In many ways, EPR for residential paper and packaging is still in its infancy in Canada. Currently, only British Columbia has a true EPR approach, while other provinces who have had programs in place for years, including Ontario, are transitioning to producer-responsibility models.

Source: Paper and Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council January 8, 2024 blog post