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Take it back
In many provinces, customers simply return empty beer bottles or cans to the manufacturer so it can be reused. It’s simple. And it works. In Ontario, refillable beer containers have a 98% recovery rate and are reused up to 18 times. That’s a lot of containers saved from the landfill. Now imagine every type of manufacturer operated a similar program. If EPR was the law in Canada, manufacturers, importers, retailers, and packagers would be responsible for the products they produce after their useful life. They would have to take back products and reuse or recycle the components instead of leaving their customers with a product that must eventually be thrown out. If we can do it with beer bottle, there’s no reason why it can’t be done with paper products, electronics, and plastics. Even cars can be designed to be recyclable. EPR is already having an effect in Europe, where it’s the law. Manufacturers are designing products and packaging to be completely recyclable. There are some small EPR projects happening in Canada. The Alberta government started a province-wide electronic-waste recycling program in 2004. More than 100 collection sites accept old TVs, computer equipment, and send them to organizations that disassemble into recyclable parts. The program is funded through an “environmental fee” which is added to the sale of all new products. Good idea, right? The rest of Canada can adopt similar legislation. It’s the return-for-deposit beer bottle principle applied to all consumer goods. For more info on EPR: http://www.cleanproduction.org/epr/EPR.htm
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“Extended producer responsibility” (EPR) sounds wonky and intimidating. But the concept is simple. And if you want the best example of this policy in action, look no further than your local beer store.