Canadian provinces recycled 67 per cent of non-refillable drink containers sold in 2010, generating $143 million in recycling revenue, a new CM Consulting report has found.
The August 2012 report, Who Pays What ,analyzes data compiled from 2010. It includes a province-by-province breakdown and recaps each province’s applicable legislation for recyclers.
“Canadian jobs are also directly linked to our success in collection and recycling,” states CM Consulting Principal Clarissa Morawski in the Who Pays For What report. “For each tonne of container material collected, processed, and recycled, labour is required. If the containers are clean, most will remain in Canada to be used by Canadian secondary processors and manufacturers.
“The benefits for these industries and Canadians include reduced energy required in manufacturing processes, lower emissions, and consistent access to Canadian-sourced raw material,” adds Morawski, who is also a contributing editor for Solid Waste and Recycling magazine.
According to the new report, Canadian provinces collect approximately 73 to 75 per cent of their aluminum cans, 80 to 83 per cent of non-refillable glass, and 58 to 62 per cent of PET plastic drink bottles.
Refillable beer bottles continue to be collected at a rate of 98 per cent, which brings the total collection rate for all beverage containers up to 72 per cent, twice that of the U.S., the report says.
Morawski says vigilance is needed to continue moving forward.
“As programs move forward to further increase collection, special attention should be placed on ensuring that the quality of material collected is not compromised to the point where it is no longer valuable domestically,” Morawski says. “Indeed, recycling must be organized to make sense both environmentally and economically.”
Read more on the Who Pays What report in the October/November edition of Solid Waste and Recycling magazine.