Since the 1970s, the non-profit organization Niagara Recycling has operated in Niagara, collecting and processing the region’s recyclable waste — but that may soon change. Under Ontario’s new recycling regime, which communities will transition to between 2023 and 2026, producers will take over recycling responsibilities from local governments. With draft regulations due for public release and consultation by summer’s end, Niagara Region must decide what to do with the program.
“Niagara Recycling is certainly very unique; it’s a model that’s very different from any other recycling facility in Ontario,” says CEO Norman Kraft, who adds that he’s worried about the organization’s future. A volunteer board runs the non-profit and donates its earnings to community groups and charities, he notes. The facility also recycles packages made from Styrofoam and black plastic — which many others don’t. And, he says, it’s the only facility in Ontario that produces and sells a trademarked recycled product: Niagara Ecoglass, which is used in sandblasting. However, Niagara Region’s plans to solicit bids for the facility in the fall make its future unclear.
It employs about 90 people, including some with developmental disabilities who sort material. The region hopes a buyer would keep workers on at least throughout the transition, although Kraft says the non-profit — which owns the Ecoglass trademark but not the facility or equipment — would likely be disbanded in that scenario. “We think it’s going to be a significant loss to the community when this transition does occur,” he says. Kraft adds that it would be a shame to lose the facility given the long relationship it’s had with the region. “Once it’s sold to the private sector, it’s gone. The region is not going to get it back, and they really need to think long and hard — if that’s really what they want.”
Catherine Habermebl, the region’s waste-management director, says change is inevitable under the new government regulations: “I think we all recognize that change is needed to improve the program.” The province says that the transition will save municipalities and First Nations money and lead to provincewide recycling standards. Currently, municipalities and producers equally share the cost of recycling, local governments are responsible for administering or contracting collection and processing, and recycling guidelines vary from place to place.
Under the new system, waste producers will report the total weight of material — including paper packaging, glass, and beverage containers — they circulate within Ontario. A yet-to-be-established provincial authority would then dictate the percentage of material that producers would pay to recycle.