Dear GreenYes Colleagues,
Re: Ontario Bill 90 and the Blue Box Program Plan
The Conservative government in Ontario, Canada, is taking heat for
the Blue Box Progam Plan to implement a system of packaging fees
under Bill 90 adopted in 2002. While Corporations Supporting
Recycling (CSR) -- including major consumer product companies like
P&G and Clorox -- supported the bill, the plan developed by
Stewardship Ontario has drawn intense criticism for its cost and
complexity.
Under Bill 90, industry must reimburse local government for 50
percent of the cost of the Blue Box curbside recycling. Many like
government officials many think this sounds interesting, right?
But since last year, cost estimates for Blue Box programs in Ontario
have nearly doubled, recycling costs per ton of material are much
higher than originally projected, and the administrative costs are
about 2 and 1/2 times the projected first year fees.
I first learned about the situation from Raymond Communications and
have begun researching the issue. You can learn more by going to
Packaging World online, to read the lead story based upon Michele
Raymond's news release of August 11, 2003. The Internet address is:
www.packworld.com
Stewardship Ontario has a web site with the plan, comments and
interesting links:
www.stewardshipontario.ca or www.stewardshipontario.org
Industry has no role in the management of the Blue Box program.
Ironically, the more a material is recycled, the more "stewards"
(consumer product companies or first importers) pay.
There is no financial signal to encourage source reduction, reuse or
utilizing recycled content. And local government isn't required to
use these funds for recycling. So little improvement is anticipated
by critics of this recycling plan. Environmental benefits appear
virtually nil.
The Ministry of Environment initiated a new round of stakeholder
discussions today, after receiving about 90 sets of comments.
Comments received earlier from the Recycling Council of Ontario and
Nestle are posted on the Stewardship Ontario web sited, and reflect
many of the most important issues. While many who commented on the
plan praised how quickly it was drafted, most people feel there was
insufficient time for evaluation and consultation.
As a recycling advocate for 14 years and environmentalist for most of
my life, the Blue Box Program Plan looks less like "producer
responsibility" and more like a simple industry subsidy. I would
welcome comments and a dialogue with any interested individuals or
organizations.
Lance King
Community Solutions
(703) 536-7282