News and Updates – May 2019

Reporting deadline reminder
Stewards are reminded that 2019 reports of 2018 packaging and paper data must be submitted to the WeRecycle Portal by May 31, 2019. A wide range of tools and information to assist reporting, including the Ready to Report Webinars, are available on the 2019 Reporting Resources webpage.
Steward survey
Thanks to all stewards who took the time to complete our recent survey. Your participation is greatly apreciated and will help CSSA to improve its services and interactions with stewards. Survey results will be shared later in the year.
Parallel Importation Policy withdrawn
The boards of Recycle BC, MMSW, MMSM, and Stewardship Ontario have withdrawn the proposed Parallel Importation policy. It is no longer being considered for implementation and stewards do not need to prepare to track imports for the purpose of reporting.
Material Cost Differentiation (MCD) project update
Nearly completed tests and analysis are determining how many unique material categories are required to measure material characteristics’ influence on the cost of recycling system. Updates and background information on the MCD project is available here.
Annual Steward Meeting — save the date
The 2019 Annual Steward Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Based on steward feedback, the meeting will be a webinar event again this year. Invitations and details will be distributed in late summer.
CSSA Executive Chair addresses G7 environment ministers
John Coyne, along with federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, discussed Canada’s initiatives to stop the plastic crisis at the G7 Environment Ministers’ meeting held in France in early May. It was a great opportunity to highlight the hard work that CSSA, the Circular Economy Leadership Coalition (CELC) and the packaging and paper stewardship programs are doing to create a circular economy in Canada.
New plastics economy
CSSA is proud to endorse the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment’s common vision of a circular economy for plastics, where plastics never become waste. We recognize this vision offers an effective, long term and root cause solution to plastic pollution with economic, environmental and societal benefits. More information is available here.
Connecting with BC collectors
Recycle BC’s 2019 Collectors’ Conference on April 8-9 brought together more than 130 collection partners from across the province. Sessions included discussion of a range of relevant topics, including end-markets, packaging trends, contamination reduction strategies, tracking and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, and the latest collection technologies.
Conference on Canadian Stewardship
Recycle BC, together with CSSA, is proud to be the conference partner of the 2019 Conference on Canadian Stewardship. This conference is an opportunity to learn about the latest trends and movements in EPR, as well as emerging programs and regulations. The event will take place from November 5 to 7, 2019, at Parq Vancouver. For more information and to register, click here.
Recycle BC’s 5th Anniversary
At the 2019 Collectors’ Conference, Recycle BC celebrated its five-year anniversary and recognized five partners who best exemplified our values of innovation, trust, knowledge, service and respect with the Blue Star Awards. Read our blog post.
Hard plastics campaign
Program promotion and resident education through a variety of activities is an ongoing effort. A current province-wide campaign encourages residents to include hard plastic packaging in the blue bin and is reinforced by a partnership with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the community events outreach teams. The teams will be engaging with residents from May to September at various events in the province.
We’ve moved!
Recycle BC has moved just down the street to a new office. The sustainable space uses reclaimed and recycled materials, aligning with the organization’s vision and values. Please note the new address for your records:
405-221 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, BC V7M 3J3
Cost and composition studies
Work is underway for MMSW’s second cost study as well as the program’s first composition study. Both activities will provide more data inputs for examining the payment model and current payment rates, while also establishing efficiency and effectiveness benchmarks for Saskatchewan waste packaging and paper (WPP) recycling. Details will be available when the studies are completed next year.
We’re moving!
Effective June 15, 2019, MMSW will be located at a new address:
401-333 3rd Ave. North, Saskatoon, SK S7K 2M2
Promotion and education resources for collectors
MMSW is committed to helping collectors increase resident awareness around their waste packaging and paper recycling program. In March, MMSW launched new resources collectors can customize and use for their promotion and education initiatives.
Municipal Services update
MMSM’s Municipal Services team continues to work closely with municipalities to ensure their quarterly reports are completed and materials are transported out of the communities. Six new municipalities, including First Nations communities, have registered so far in 2019. The team has participated in a number of stakeholder meetings and events across the province in recent months, including the Northern Manitoba Sustainable Waste Management workshop in Thompson, the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) Municipal Tradeshow, and the Manitoba Municipal Administrators Association Conference in Brandon.
Cost survey for municipal funding
The annual cost monitoring process is almost complete. Participation by communities participating in the MMSM program is mandatory. Once the cost and revenue data from the survey has been reviewed and verified, it will be used to set municipal funding rates that are a primary factor for material fee rates paid by stewards.
Promotion and education campaigns
MMSM launched its 2019 P&E campaign in April with a focus on encouraging participation, reducing contamination and celebrating Manitoba’s recycling success. The Recycle Like Michael campaign continues for a second year, featuring online, outdoor, radio and television advertising. A multi-pronged social media strategy is underway and MMSM has also been active in the community collaborating on a variety of different events and programs.
MHSW Wind-Up Plan submission
Thank you to all those who submitted feedback on MHSW’s Wind-Up Plan proposal. Stewardship Ontario is now working to finalize the plan before submitting it to RPRA by June 30. More information can be found here.
Spring and summer promotion and education initiatives
Throughout the spring and summer, Stewardship Ontario will run promotion and education campaigns to improve residential recycling:
  • Blue Box contamination reduction campaign focusing on reducing wrong items, dirty containers and organics in residents’ recycling containers. Creative has been updated from prior years.
  • Hazardous material awareness campaign, joint with AMS, highlighting the five materials residents can take to an Orange Drop location for safe disposal.
  • Propane cylinder awareness campaign promoting taking them to drop-off locations for safe disposal.
  • Continued partnership with Ontario Parks promoting the safe disposal of propane cylinders in park cages.
Ad templates are available for municipalities to customize and use for their own advertising.