Toronto, Ontario, September 1, 2022 – Carton Council of Canada (CCC) today announced it will extend its efforts to support the optimization of carton collection, sorting and recovery in Ontario, launching the second round of the organization’s recent Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI).
Municipalities and waste management companies operating material recovery facilities (MRFs) in Ontario, and other entities responsible for operating residential recycling programs are invited to respond to the REOI with their ideas related to improving the rate of carton recovery in the province.
“We are pleased and proud to continue to support creative thinking and smart educational strategies,” says Isabelle Faucher, Managing Director, Carton Council of Canada. “We know that when we collaborate with organizations across the province, we increase the reach and potential impact of these programs, so it’s important to keep the dialogue going – and the ideas flowing.”
CCC has set aside an aggregate amount of $70,000 to support projects brought forward through this REOI in 2022.
To be eligible for consideration, expressions of interest must be submitted no later than 6 pm ET on November 1, 2022.
Projects must be completed within a maximum of two years from the REOI’s launch (i.e., no later than May 4, 2024).
FIRST REOI PROJECT FUNDED
Today, CCC also announced the first recipient of this projects’ funding. The Municipality of Dysart et al has successfully requested support for a comprehensive public awareness campaign. The goal of the project is to increase the capture of cartons in Dysart’s containers recycling stream by 100% from the current (2022) 44% capture rate to 88% capture in 2023. The Dysart team will leverage print, online and social media, along with the distribution of reusable recycling bags, to reach more than 7,200 households and deliver local, recycling-focused information. A Waste Composition Study will help evaluate the success of the program.
ABOUT THE REOI
Expressions of interest pertaining to the following areas of focus will be considered:
- Consulting services to enable or to optimize, carton sorting processes. This includes any or all of MRF configuration, sorter placement, technology and storage.
- Financing for audits (e.g., inbound material, container stream, paper stream, bales, etc.), pilot projects and equipment. Example of the later include investments in automation (optical sorters, robots), extensions to existing conveyors and the splitting of bunkers to allocate room for sorted cartons.
- Awareness campaigns to increase the quantity of cartons in the stream.
- Any other focus area that would benefit carton recovery.
It is important to note that cartons do not have to be the sole focus of the project and can be part of a broader initiative.
Full details related to eligibility and the REOI application process
ABOUT CARTON RECOVERY IN ONTARIO
Over the last fourteen years, carton collection/recovery rates have more than doubled in Canada, increasing from 26% to 55% in 2022.1 While the carton performance has doubled nationally, the carton recovery rate in Ontario has been declining.2 In fact, the province’s carton recovery rate dropped from to 52.7% in 2019 to 40.3% in 2022.3 Challenges such as COVID, labour shortages, access to technology and market conditions have contributed to the decline in cartons’ performance.
CCC also believes that the impending transition to a producer-led framework under Ontario’s new Blue Box Regulation presents an important opportunity for future service providers – municipal and private. Cartons will be on the list of mandated items for collection, and there will most likely be a requirement to sort them into their own grade (ISRI Grade 52 spec bales). Implementing actions now can help actors get ready for the transition by positioning respondents as strategic long-term partners to Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) and their producers.
ABOUT THE CARTON COUNCIL OF CANADA
The Carton Council of Canada (CCC) is composed of four leading carton manufacturers – Elopak, Pactiv Evergreen, SIG Combibloc, and Tetra Pak. Formed in 2010, CCC works to deliver long-term collaborative solutions in order to divert valuable cartons from disposal. Carton Council of Canada provides a platform for carton manufacturers in Canada to benchmark and profile cartons as renewable, recyclable and low-carbon packaging solutions.
For the past 12 years, CCC has been working with all stakeholders in the recycling supply chain to increase carton collection and recovery. There is demand for feedstock from food and beverage cartons to make new products, including paper products and building materials.
For more information, visit recyclecartons.ca.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please direct questions to Isabelle Faucher at ifaucher@recyclecartons.ca or by phone at (647) 967-5881.
NOTES:
- Some Canadian jurisdictions report a collection rate while others report a recovery (recycling) rate. For this reason, we cannot report a uniform national collection or recovery (recycling) rate.
- The carton recovery rate in Ontario is currently measured as the tonnes of cartons sold to end-markets relative to the tonnes of cartons put on the market.
- As per the Blue Box Fee Calculation Model for years 2019 and 2022, available through Stewardship Ontario upon request. Please note that there is a two-year lag in recovery performance reporting in Ontario. As such, the recovery reported in 2019 is based on 2017 data and performance reported in 2022 is based on 2020 data.