Ontario government makes changes to blue box program

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) announced the beginning of the transition to full producer responsibility for Ontario’s blue-box recycling system.

When the change is fully implemented, it will shift both costs and oversight of the residential recycling system to industry.

Retail Canada of Canada (RCC), Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) and Canadian Beverage Association (CBA) support the Ontario government’s commitment to improving the blue-box recycling system.

Roughly 1,900 producers provide more than $127 million each year to support municipal collection and processing.  Since the blue-box program started, businesses have contributed more than $1.36 billion.

The blue-box program is available to roughly 95 per cent of households in Ontario and exceeds the province’s recycling target of 60 per cent.