TORONTO—Ontario's Ministry of the Environment is proposing sweeping revisions to its waste diversion regulations that, if passed, would make individual product makers responsible for their own waste recycling.
The proposed new Waste Reduction Act would establish individual producer responsibility requirements for the recycling of end-of-life products, according to the ministry website.
It also would:
• ensure consumer protection by requiring product sellers to state clearly the amount of waste diversion costs in the price of a product;
• require producers to reimburse municipalities for collecting and handling wastes;
• transform the current Waste Diversion Ontario into the new Waste Reduction Authority, with responsibility for overseeing compliance with the new regulations; and
• provide for the continuance of Ontario's four existing waste diversion programs, including Ontario Tire Stewardship, until the affected industries make the transition to the new program.
The ministry is accepting comments on the proposed law until Sept. 4.
In a statement on the OTS website, www.rethinktires.ca, OTS Executive Director Andrew Horsman said the organization would keep interested parties apprised of the status of the new Waste Reduction Act.
"OTS is communicating with the government, Waste Diversion Ontario and the stewards to evaluate the potential impact of this legislation," Horsman said. "During this period, OTS will continue to focus on our normal course of business, continue to work with collectors, haulers, processors and recycled product manufacturers, and process claims as usual."
Founded in 2009, OTS is an "Extended Producer Responsibility" program, under which industry professionals serve as stewards to ensure the collection, processing and end-use of waste tires. Ontario's used tire program boasts a 96-percent scrap tire diversion rate.