Provincial Recycling Programs
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association urge the Province of Alberta to:
1. Expand and refine the existing Extended Producer Responsibility programs to include more items (e.g., electronics) and not download costs to municipalities (e.g., paint).
2. Develop additional Extended Producer Responsibility programs for items such as construction and demolition waste, leaf and yard waste and packaging waste.
3. Create a means to stabilize and develop predictable markets for recyclable materials including plastics, glass, paper, cardboard and other materials.
WHEREAS ensuring resource sustainability is a concern of all Albertans;
WHEREAS the Province of Alberta has taken a leadership role in the creation of provincial wide recycling programs including electronics, tires and beverage containers;
WHEREAS the Province’s leadership has enabled a greener environment and secured recycling facilities for the betterment of all Albertans and the province as a whole;
WHEREAS Alberta villages, towns and cities collaborate with other orders of government and stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of future resources;
WHEREAS many commodities are not recycled or are recycled at significant costs to municipalities due to the volatility of commodity markets; and
WHEREAS it is in everyone’s interest that the maximum amount of recyclable materials are recycled.
• The Province of Alberta has shown leadership over the past 30 years implementing a number of successful province-wide waste management and recycling programs including; the beverage container collection program (1972), the pesticide container collection program (1980), hazardous waste legislation (1985), the tire recycling program (1994), the used oil materials recycling program (1997), an electronics recycling program (2004).
• Alberta currently has the highest per capita waste disposal rate of any province in Canada. The Province had set a goal to reduce the provincial per capita waste disposal rate to 500 kg per person per year by 2010. This goal has not been achieved, and in fact the per capita disposal rate was 1,122 kg per person in 2008.
• Increased stability in recycling markets would greatly assist municipalities in diverting waste from landfills and funding their recycling programs. For example, in late 2008 and early 2009 the industry experienced a crash in recycling commodity markets. Municipalities saw greatly reduced revenue for certain recycling commodities (e.g. cardboard), were forced to pay recyclers to accept certain commodities (e.g. mixed paper and plastics) or send some commodities to landfill where no market could be found. The volatility of recycling markets can have significant impacts on the recycling programs operated by municipalities.
• Expansion of the existing provincial recycling programs would also assist with waste diversion. For example, many Cities currently recycle, at their own cost, additional electronic items (e.g. stereo systems, DVD players and microwaves) that are not part of the provincial electronic waste recycling program because residents expect these types of items to be included in the program.
• The crash of international recycling markets has had a significant impact on local municipalities and is a good example how relying on one major recycling market (i.e. China) does not create robust recycling programs. More recycling markets and markets that are located closer to the source of the recyclables would strengthen Alberta’s recycling programs. Additionally, reducing the distance that recyclables must be transported prior to being recycled would increase the sustainability of recycling programs and reduce the emissions related to transportation.
January 2014 (Environment and Sustainable Resource Development). Waste management and recycling is a shared responsibility among all levels of government. The Government of Alberta is considering several changes to Albertaâ??s regulatory framework for recycling designated materials. AUMA and its members will be engaged, when the province determines next steps.