Up to 15 organizations in Canada’s Prairie provinces can receive $2K each for recycling education efforts that include cartons
Toronto, Ontario, April 22, 2024 – Today, Carton Council of Canada (CCC) is pleased to announce the launch of the fourth year of the organization’s Community Education Award (CEA) program. Established in 2021, the program was developed to support and enhance recycling education in Canadian communities. In 2024, the Community Education Award program will focus on Canada’s Prairie Provinces including Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The CEA program has previously worked with organizations in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
“At Carton Council of Canada, we are immensely proud to launch another year of the Community Education Award Program and to turn our attention to the communities located in some of the western provinces,” said Isabelle Faucher, Managing Director, Carton Council of Canada. “We continue to believe in the tremendous importance of local education to successfully increase general knowledge about recycling, to support the adoption of recycling best practices, and to help improve the rate of carton recycling across the country.”
In the Prairie provinces, the recycling solution for cartons depends on the province and, in some cases, on the product. While all carton types are collected through the residential recycling system in Manitoba, this is not the case in Saskatchewan and Alberta. In those two provinces, cartons containing foodstuffs other than beverages (such as soups and broths) are collected in the residential recycling system while all beverage cartons (including cream) are returned to a recycling depot for refund.
ABOUT ELIGIBILITY
The CEA program is open to organizations based in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba that educate residents about local recycling programs, particularly those that include food and beverage cartons. This includes cities and municipalities, sorting facilities, deposit return system operators, not-for-profits, and any other organization that has recycling education as part of its mandate.
To receive the award, participating organizations must show that their websites accurately and clearly define carton recycling. They will also be asked to provide at least two other examples of communications activities conducted during the year that promote recycling in general, while also prominently featuring cartons. For more information about eligibility and to register for the program, please visit the CCC website.
ABOUT PARTICIPATION AND AWARDS
The first fifteen organizations to register for the 2024 program will be eligible to receive $2,000 each by demonstrating their proactive recycling education efforts, featuring food and beverage cartons.
Also, for the first time since the launch of the CEA program in Canada, each participating organization’s submission will be automatically considered to receive either a first, second or third place award of merit. Submissions will be evaluated for the awards of merit based on the following criteria: demonstrated communication improvement, utilization of the Carton Council best practices toolkit, community participation in the contest (e.g., number of likes, number of participants in an event, if applicable, etc.), and number of activities.
Based on this evaluation, the first-place winner will receive an additional $3,000. The second-place winner will receive an additional $2,000 and the third-place winner will receive an additional $ 1,000.
Additional information can be found in the terms and conditions of the CEA program.
KEY DATES
- April 22, 2024: Registration for the Community Education Award program opens
- June 21, 2024: Registration for the Community Education Award program closes
- November 1, 2024: Deadline for participating organizations to submit their entry
ABOUT FOOD AND BEVERAGE CARTONS
Food and beverage cartons are highly recyclable materials that come in two kinds: refrigerated cartons that hold products such as milk, fresh juice and egg substitutes; and shelf-stable cartons that hold products like broths, milks, juices, soups and wine, among others. When sorted by themselves at materials recovery facilities (MRFs), cartons are a valuable material in high demand. Made mostly from paper, a renewable resource, cartons have become popular containers for food and beverage products as they are lightweight and compact, with a low carbon footprint. When recycled, they are used to make office and writing paper, tissues, paper towels, food packaging and even sustainable building and construction materials.
ABOUT THE CARTON COUNCIL OF CANADA
The Carton Council of Canada (CCC) is composed of four leading carton manufacturers, Elopak, Pactiv Evergreen, SIG, 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 14 years, CCC has been working with all stakeholders in the recycling supply chain to increase carton collection and recycling. 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