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Waste & Recycling September 09, 2016 11:30:30 AM

CPIA report examines recycling access rate for plastics packaging

Carolina Curiel
ScrapMonster Author
According to the report titled “Canadian Residential Plastics Packaging: Recycling Program Access Report”, access to recycling of the more common plastic types is fairly consistent across Canada.

CPIA report examines recycling access rate for plastics packaging

VANCOUVER (Scrap Monster): The Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) in association with CM Consulting has released a comprehensive study report on the recycling access rate for various types of plastics packaging across various Canadian provinces. The report is based on the study conducted with regards to the opportunity available to consumers to recycle their plastics packaging through residential curbside recycling programs, municipal recycling depots, deposit-return programs for beverage containers, or return-to-retail. It must be noted that the report does not include return-to-retail programs for certain categories of plastic packaging such as shopping bags, film and foam.

According to the report titled “Canadian Residential Plastics Packaging: Recycling Program Access Report”, access to recycling of the more common plastic types is fairly consistent across Canada. Of the 10 provinces surveyed, 8 were found to have universal access to recycling PET beverage containers. The exceptions were Ontario and Quebec. Also, access to recycling of non- beverage bottles, jugs and jars made from most other resins stood above 80% in all provinces except Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.

The recycling access rates for other plastic bottles, jugs, and jars (#7) increased in 2015. The rate stood below 60% only in Saskatchewan and PEI.

The national access rate for PS foam food packaging from 34% in 2014 to 44% in 2015, mainly contributed by increased access rate in Montreal.

Access to recycling HDPE and LDPE film and bags has increased to 93% in BC and 90% in Quebec. He recycling access to plastic film and bags in Ontario increased from 33% in 2014 to 53% in 2015. Low recycling rates were reported for this material in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the other Maritime provinces. The recycling access rate for PS foam stood below 10% in all other provinces except BC, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

The report notes that access to recycling of bulky plastics is extremely low in most provinces. There are very few programs that accept toys and lawn furniture, but plastic bottle cap recycling is becoming more common. BC, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland have access rates in excess of 60% for rigid horticultural plastic. PET beverage bottles recorded national recycling access rate of 99%. Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec do not collect these containers via deposit-return programs, whereas the collection is done via curbside. Meantime, PET-made bottles, jugs and jars have 95% national access rate. The access rates are below 85% only in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.

HDPE beverage containers show a national access rate of 98%. HDPE bottles, jugs, and jars show access rate of 95%. The report says that collection of these items face difficulty in the rural regions of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland.

Bottles, jugs, and jars made from PVC have lower access rates of 88% than other resins, due to difficulty in recycling them. However, many provinces including BC, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and PEI continue to accept them as part of plastic containers. LDPE plastic bottles, jugs, and jars show higher rates of 93% than those made from PVC. The provinces that show high recycling rate include BC, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and PEI.

High access rates can be seen in BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and PEI reports high access rates for bottles, jugs and jars made from PP. On the other hand, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador reported lower rates. The national rate stands at 94%.

#7 container plastic, considered to be one of the more difficult resins to recycle, has a national access rate of 91%. The rates are above 80% in Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia, BC, Alberta and Ontario.

The national access rate for retail shopping bags is 69%. BC, Nova Scotia and PEI recycle these nearly universally.

 

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