Recycling Reimagined: Unpacking Ontario’s Producer-Responsibility Framework

Welcome to The Food and Beverage Processor Forum, brought to you by Food and Beverage Ontario. Today, we delve into a pivotal transition in Ontario's waste management landscape. On July 1, 2023, Ontario communities embarked on a shift towards a new producer-responsibility framework, a transition set to encompass the entire province by December 31, 2025. We'll dissect the operational, management, and financial facets of this transition for producers, alongside the merits this new model presents for Ontarians and the business sector.

With us today to help breakdown this topic are:

- Michelle Axbey, Senior Compliance Officer, and Mary Cummins, Registrar, both from the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA).
- Shane Buckingham, Principal at Apex Policy Inc. and former Strategic Communications and Producer Relations Lead at Circular Materials.

About RPRA

The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) is the official body designated by Ontario's government to enforce circular economy laws, aiming to transition towards a waste-free Ontario since its establishment in November 2016. The RPRA administers two critical acts, the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA), and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 (WDTA), guiding the termination and transition of legacy waste diversion programs. Additionally, it assists businesses in adhering to individual producer responsibility (IPR) requirements, expanding its digital reporting services in 2019 to cover a broader range of waste and resource recovery programs.

Website: https://rpra.ca/

About Circular Materials

Circular Materials is a national non-profit organization in Canada, aiding producers in fulfilling their extended producer responsibility regulations. They focus on advancing the circular economy by ensuring materials are collected, recycled, and reutilized in new products and packaging. The organization offers a range of services including recycling program design, implementation, and support across Canada, alongside managing the recycling supply chain operations, producer registration and reporting, and various other aspects to enhance recycling systems and adhere to regulatory requirements

Learn More: https://www.circularmaterials.ca/