Not-for-profit, producer-created organizations are positioning themselves to meet beverage container targets in Ontario

Circular Materials and the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association (CBCRA) are developing a comprehensive recycling program for beverage containers collected in blue bins and public spaces across Ontario.

The Blue Box Regulation requires producers to assume responsibility for the collection and management of blue box materials from municipalities between 2023 and 2025. CMO and CBCRA will support producers by establishing a collection system for beverage containers, carrying out consumer promotion and education, reporting to the regulator and meeting Ontario's targets to collect and manage 75 percent of beverage containers supplied in the province by 2026, and 80 percent by 2030.

Ontario's Blue Box Regulation will require producers selling beverage containers in the province to meet management targets based on beverage containers supplied to consumers not only for personal, family and household use, but also for business purposes. Beverage containers include aluminum cans, glass bottles, milk cartons, juice boxes and plastic bottles.

As much as 30 percent of beverage products are consumed away from home. As a result, beverage producers will require a collection system to supplement blue box collection to meet the targets in the Blue Box Regulation.

To increase beverage container recycling away from home, CBCRA, in collaboration with CMO, will operate a supplemental collection and management system modelled after the successful Recycle Everywhere program.

CBCRA's Recycle Everywhere program in Manitoba has achieved the greatest recovery growth of any beverage container recovery system in North America in the last 10 years. With CMO and CBCRA's collective capabilities and expertise, the organizations are positioned to meet Ontario's beverage container management targets.

"In addition to its recovery growth achievements, CBCRA's Recycle Everywhere program, which started with virtually no away from home recycling infrastructure, has become one of Manitoba's most recognized brands," says Jim Goetz, Chair of CBCRA. "The organization intends to leverage its knowledge, experience and success to implement an expansive away from home recovery system in Ontario, including the provision of free collection infrastructure to the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors."