Ontario bows out of Blue Box program

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

Major changes are in store for Ontario’s Blue Box Program.

The Ford government is shifting financial responsibility for the program from municipalities to producers of packaging and waste.

Earlier this year, the province appointed special advisor David Lindsay to review the program and plastic waste.

Lindsay’s report found nearly 30 per cent of recyclable material was ending up in landfills.

Government officials say the program has become unsustainable and needs to be overhauled.

“Transitioning the Blue Box Program to full producer responsibility will promote innovation and increase Ontario’s recycling rates while saving taxpayers money,” Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks Jeff Yurek said in a statement. “This shift is a big step towards diverting waste, addressing plastic pollution and creating a new recycling economy that everyone can be proud of in Ontario.”

Stewardship Ontario, the organization which oversees the program, will soon begin shaping the transition, with the final plan expected in July 2020.

Mirka Januszkiewicz, director of waste management services for Durham Region, says it is a “very positive step.”

“We were waiting for this for some time as part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. The leadership of the Blue Box Program needs to transition to the producers of packaging,” she says.

Januszkiewicz notes there have been reports of this type of move for some time.

She praises the province for providing “a very well-outlined principle of how this is going to happen.”

According to a ministry news release, after a consultation period costs will shift to producers beginning on Jan. 1, 2023 and continue over three years.

This means cost savings for both the region and its residents, says Januszkiewicz.

“Currently, taxpayers incur the entire cost for collection and processing of materials. And that will be transferred to the private sector,” she says.

The government believes it will also create a more streamlined process. There are currently more than 240 distinct Blue Box programs in Ontario.

“This will make for a standardized Blue Box program,” Januszkiewicz says.

The changes should not affect services for taxpayers, she adds.

“We will ensure that this transition will be so seamless that our residents will not be affected at all, and they will not even recognize any difference in who is collecting the blue box materials,” Januszkiewicz states.

Yet, she did concede it is a very significant change.

“We will be very, very busy to understand what this proposal from the province is, and how to relate to our business standards and level of service.”