Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Update

MMBC Makes First Big Decision; Newspapers Decide to Go it Alone

When we last left off, the MMBC group of stewards had just received a list of program design options, along with a slew of feedback from the many stakeholders involved. Reports were that 150-200 separate stakeholder submissions were received, so MMBC obviously had a lot to consider in the lead up to the decision.

In the end they chose a combination of two options outlined in the report: “1A – Contract with Collectors for All Services” + “2B – Provide Incentives for Processors for All Services.”

A lot of the stakeholders involved had hoped that the decision on an option would provide some much needed certainly as to where things are headed. In reality though, this particular decision does the opposite. Because it is a combination of options, the specific operational details in the report don’t necessarily apply anymore. In addition, the precedent-setting nature of this decision means that we don’t have existing case studies to look at and learn from. This all means that we still have some more waiting to do before getting anything close to a clear picture of what the new system will look like.

Following this decision, MMBC released an RFP soliciting consultants for “Phase 2” of program plan development (to see the RFP, visit: http://www.wmabc.ca/#!forms-&-files). Whoever wins this contract will help determine a wide variety of highly significant “details” that will have massive consequences for recycling in BC. Among other things, they will be reporting to MMBC on:

-which materials should be included in the program

-the roles and responsibilities of all impacted stakeholders

-how the system will be financed

-how performance will be measured and reported

-a consumer-awareness education strategy

-a stakeholder engagement and consultation strategy

The project will be no small feat for the successful bidder!

MMBC hopes to have the consultant selected by mid-June, with the work beginning immediately and culminating in a final submission to the Ministry of Environment in November. Although not set yet, the next round of official stakeholder consultation will likely take place in early fall.

In other big EPR news, one of the 5 founding members of the MMBC group, the Canadian Newspaper Association, has pulled out and will be going it alone from here on in. It is likely that they saw the MMBC group heading in the same direction as Ontario, where newspapers have had some bad experiences, and thought it in their interests to design their own system. Some allusions were made to this in a Vancouver Sun article that came out just before this decision (http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Less+garbage+recycling/6429601/story.html ).

The consequences of this could be far reaching. Does it mean there will be a whole separate system for Newspaper? Might writing and packaging papers go along as well? What does it mean for multi-stream vs. single stream collection? Time will tell (hopefully sooner than later)!

February 29 , 2012 EPR Update

Big Things Happening in EPR in BC!

February saw some major movement on the EPR front. Early in the month, MMBC’s team of consultants from Glenda Gies & Associates released two important reports:

Current System for Managing Residential Packaging and Printed Paper in British Columbia

Packaging and Printed Paper Stewardship Design Options

The first report basically explains what residential recycling in BC looks like right now. It summarizes which municipalities receive curbside vs. depot collection, which have single-stream vs. multi-stream, which materials each city accepts in Blue Boxes etc.

The second report gives us the first, high-level glimpse at what the new EPR program for packaging and paper might look like. It sets out a variety of different options for how the financing on the new program might work: using contracts, incentives, direct delivery, or some combination thereof. Both reports are available in the links below.

Two weeks after releasing the reports, MMBC and their team of consultants held a special, all day update to explain the content of the reports and field questions. The Q&A session that followed was lively and revealed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about EPR for paper and packaging. In particular, the audience demanded a clear answer on the new program’s diversion and recycling goals; the 75% number has been mentioned by the government, but at this point nobody seems to be able to answer the question, “75% of what?”

Following the session, stakeholders had until February 28^th to provide commentary on the reports. There is no doubt that a wide spectrum of local governments, private recycling firms, non-profit organizations and citizen groups made their voices heard. MMBC now has the difficult task of reviewing the submissions and making a final decision on which option to select in a month’s time. Stay tuned!

Click on the following links to find copies of the MMBC reports as well as other information on what is happening in EPR in BC!

British Columbia Product Stewardship

Recycling Council of British Columbia

Update on Designing a Producer Responsibility Program for the Packaging and Printed Paper for British Columbia: Glenda Gies and Associates

A team from Glenda Gies and Associates, who are undertaking an analysis of the current Packaging and Printed Paper Product (PPP) recycling system in BC, are also developing program design options. Glenda Gies, Maura Walker and two additional team members, Geoff Love of Love Environmental and Usman Valiante of Corporate Policy Group, joined Coast Waste Management Association on Tuesday December 6, 2011 to share information about their project and to listen to suggestions from the audience on designing a producer responsibility program for printed papers and packaging for BC.

Click here to review the Powerpoint presentation from the December 6 CWMA Workshop.

What’s Been Happening with EPR Lately?

Urban Impact has been front and centre at recent Packaging and Printed Paper EPR consultation sessions. The BC Ministry of Environment is currently in the middle of a Fall Consultation tour.

The largest event thus far was held in Richmond in September, cohosted by the Solid Waste Management Association of North America’s (SWANA) Pacific Chapter. This session was very well attended and included delegates from various local governments, the recycling and retail industries, as well as a wide variety of consultants and one citizens’ initiative.

At some of the more recent EPR events, the Ministry of Environment has been been accompanied by Allen Langdon. Mr. Langdon is the chair of the new Multi Material British Columbia industry stewardship agency, which is taking the lead on the new EPR regulations as a representative of packaging and printed paper producers in BC. At the session, Mr. Langdon has been presenting information about MMBC and its role, as well as fielding many questions.

The consultation sessions have shown that there is a lot of stakeholder interest in EPR developments in British Columbia, particularly from local governments and the recycling industry, who each are concerned about how their roles might change under the new 100% steward-run program. It is interesting, and perhaps somewhat concerning, that although the aforementioned stakeholders have been out in full force, regular citizens – all the people who actually put their recyclables in the Blue Box and help keep the program going – have been notably absent. We believe that it is very important that their voices be heard in this debate, as they are really the biggest stakeholders of all.

EPR Questions and Concerns Raised During the Consultations

Why has such a broad range of materials been condensed together into just one product category?
The “Packaging and Printed Paper” category encompasses a huge variety of materials, many of which are not recyclable. Are we going to be putting them all in our Blue Boxes under the new program? If so, what’s going to happen to all the non-recyclable stuff? Will it be incinerated to recovery energy?
How exactly is the financing of the new system going to work? Who will pay, and based on what?
In some situations it’s tough to identify a “producer” . Who will be responsible for paying for waste that enters BC via cross-border shopping or mail-subscription magazines, for example?
How will all producers, even the smaller ones, be held financially accountable?
Will the new programs be oriented towards local or global recycling markets?
Will there be some “Continuous Improvement Fund,” like in Ontario to provide financial incentives for recycling infrastructure and R & D in BC?
Where will municipalities fit in? What will happen with all their existing capital such as trucks and carts?
Will the existing beverage container deposit system be affected? Will deposits be added to new products such as milk containers?
Why has only the residential collection system been considered ? Why not the ICI (Industrial, Commercial, Institutional)?
How can we ensure that we don’t make the same mistakes as other jurisdictions that have implemented packaging and paper EPR?

Where do we go from here

For complete details and regular updates visit the Recycling Council of BC’s Website : http://rcbc.bc.ca/education/product-stewardship/packagingepr

Check the Recycling Council of British Columbia website for updates regarding MMBC-led consultations, tentatively scheduled for next fall.

Find a new Ministry of Environment information brochure on EPR on the RCBC website: http://rcbc.bc.ca/files/u7/epr_111018_pppbrochure2011.pdf

A new online consultation tool Placespeak is being used for continuous consultation throughout the whole EPR development process.

Visit the website, register and contribute your questions and comments for consideration: http://www.placespeak.com/topic.php?id=321

Interested in finding out more about EPR?

Be part of the EPR conversation! If you have any questions or want further information on anything related to the above, please contact:

John Kendler
New Westminster Plant
Tel. 604-517-0640 ext. 402
Cell 604-834-8748
john.kendler@urbanimpact.com

Urban Impact Upcoming EPR Events

Stay tuned for information about an upcoming Urban Impact event where we will explore sustainable solutions to the challenges surrounding EPR.

Urban Impact featured in the News commenting on EPR

Urban Impact President and CEO Nicole Stefenelli believes that the recent introduction of EPR for paper and packaging is worth paying attention to.

See Urban Impact’s President Nicole Stefenelli’s article in the Vancouver Sun

Click here to listen to Nicole’s interview on CKNW’s Weekend Morning News with Jill Bennett regarding the future of waste reduction in our region.

EPR Useful Resources and Links

Want to be at the front of the developments in EPR? We have suggested some resources that you may find useful. This is not an exhaustive list. If you can’t find what you need here, please contact us and we will do what we can to help.

Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)

BC Ministry of Environment

Recycling Council of BC (RCBC)

ProductCare

Encorp

Electronics Stewardship Association of British Columbia

Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association

Post Consumer Pharmaceutical Stewardship Association