Canadian Residential Plastics Packaging: Recycling Program Access Report

Transcription

1 Canadian Residential Plastics Packaging: Recycling Program Access Report Determining the level of access to recycling of plastic materials via residential recycling programs and return to retail programs for plastic bags NOVEMBER 2017 Prepared for: Prepared by:

2 2 Table of Contents Background... 3 Purpose... 4 Methodology... 5 Key Findings... 8 Return to Retail (R2R) Recycling of Plastic Shopping Bags Canadian Programs by Categories of Materials Accepted Material Summaries Container Plastics Non- container or Specific- use Plastics HDPE, LDPE Film and Bags and Plastic Shopping Bags by Region Key Findings: Access to Recycling of Plastic Shopping Bags in Municipal Recycling Systems and Return- to- Retail Programs PS Foam Food Packaging by Region Provincial Summaries British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec New Brunswick Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island Newfoundland and Labrador National Access Rates Plastic Containers Non- container or Specific- use Plastics Provincial Access Rates British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec New Brunswick Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island Newfoundland and Labrador Appendix A: Keywords/Terms Used to Determine Acceptability of a Material/Container Type in a Recycling Program

3 3 Background During the past two decades, the popularity of recycling has grown dramatically. Recycling programs are now in place in most major Canadian cities. The participation level of recycling, however, varies quite widely from province to province. While some of this variability can be explained by differences in levels of household income, education, general interest, and age of residents, one of the key factors influencing recycling rates in Canada is whether people have access to recycling programs. Access rates for various types of plastic packaging are constantly changing, and the specific list of materials accepted in a residential recycling program varies from municipality to municipality. As extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes proliferate across the country, it is becoming increasingly important for manufacturers and retailers of packaged food and consumer goods to know what percentage of Canadians have access to recycling programs for the packaging they place on the market. In this report, having access to recycling means the opportunity is available for consumers to recycle their plastics packaging through residential curbside recycling programs, municipal recycling depots, deposit- return programs for beverage containers, or return- to- retail (R2R) for empty beverage containers and plastic bags/film. For the first time, this year s report will include the R2R programs for plastic bags and film. In previous years, this information was included in a separate report, and overall access to recycling plastic bags and film was determined by combining the access rate to R2R programs and the access rate to residential recycling programs. This year, we are delivering all of this information in one report. The format of the report has not changed, but the section on plastic bags and film has been expanded to include the R2R element.

4 4 Purpose This report aims to provide the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) and other stakeholders with information on what percentage of Canadians have access to recycling programs for the plastics packaging materials put into the market. The list of materials researched by CM Consulting is as follows: Plastics PET beverage bottles PET bottles, jugs, and jars HDPE beverage bottles HDPE bottles, jugs and jars PVC bottles, jugs and jars LDPE bottles, jugs and jars PP bottles, jugs and jars Other (#7) bottles, jugs and jars PET non- bottle rigid containers HDPE non- bottle rigid containers PVC non- bottle rigid containers LDPE non- bottle rigid containers PP non- bottle rigid containers PS non- bottle rigid containers Other non- bottle rigid containers HDPE, LDPE film and bags (residential and R2R programs) Retail shopping bags (residential and R2R programs) PS foam food packaging PS foam protective packaging HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS tubs and lids <4L HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS tubs and lids >4L Bulky plastics Caps Horticultural rigid plastic

5 Methodology In order to estimate recycling access rates for each of the plastic packaging materials identified, CM Consulting began by determining the population residing within each municipality, regional district, or subdivision having a defined area, collectively referred to as Recycling Program Areas (RPA). Populations for each RPA were determined using 2015 Statistics Canada census data. The second step in the research was to determine which materials were accepted in each recycling program. To do this, CM Consulting visited the municipal/regional websites of each of the roughly 400 RPAs, and looked for specific key words or phases. This task required a certain degree of interpretation. For instance, if a website listed bakery trays as accepted and also stated that PET (or #1) and Polystyrene (or #6) were acceptable materials, then PET and polystyrene non- bottle rigids were considered accepted. Furthermore, if a material was not listed as accepted on the website either explicitly or implicitly it was assumed that the RPA did not accept that material for recycling. For the film and bag categories, where we combined the residential and R2R access rates to determine an overall rate, the methodology is much more complex. Determining access to recycling film and bags through residential programs follows the same methodology as that used for other plastics materials. The process of determining R2R access begins with a list of 1,165 retailers accepting plastic film and bags, which was provided by the CPIA. The stores accepting these materials were mapped using GIS (Geographic Information Systems), and then census data was used to determine the population residing within 10km of one of the locations. These populations were compared to those served by municipal recycling programs to determine what percentage of the country has access to R2R plastic bags and/or municipal plastic bag recycling. Figure 1 provides an illustrative example of how this was done. The areas in light green represent RPAs that accept both plastic film and bags in their municipal recycling programs, while those in red represent those where film is excluded from the program. The circles represent a radius of 10km around retail locations that currently accept plastic shopping bags for recycling. The circles are transparent so that one is able to distinguish between stores that cover an area where there is municipal service and stores that cover an area that does not have municipal access. The blue circles represent areas where people have access to recycling under both the municipal and R2R system, while the purple circles represent areas where the only access to recycling plastic shopping bags is through the R2R program.

6 6 The small, dark red areas of the graph show populations of over 4,000 that have no access to residential recycling for this material, and that live more than 10km from a participating retailer. These are the areas that the CPIA should be targeting to increase retailer participation in the R2R plastic bag program. NOTE: Important Change in Methodology for Manitoba In previous reports, Manitoba was divided into 8 regions, and the largest city in each region was used as a proxy for the entire region. For the most part, this approach made sense and resulted in accurate estimates; however, it did not allow for small differences between programs in the same geographical region, and it did not account for the small parts of the population that are unserved (resulting in 100% access rates, which were not necessarily accurate). It was also inconsistent with the majority of the other provinces, which were based on programs being run by municipalities, and only measured those with 5,000 people or more. For this year s report, CM Consulting and the CPIA agreed to change the methodology in Manitoba to one that includes any RPA of 4,000 or more (giving us 17 RPAs with easy to discover program details). CM Consulting also created a new RPA intended to cover all those who do not live in a RPA with 4,000 or more people, but that are served by the MMSB, which provides access to recycling of most plastic containers (and most other recyclables) to 94% of the province s population. To create this new RPA, CM Consulting took the number of people served by the MMSB (1,206,492, representing 94% of the province s population of 1,278,365) and subtracted those covered by the first 17 RPAs (887,390). This leaves 319,102 people that we know have access to residential recycling, but who do not live in one of the population centres of 4,000 or more. It was assumed that these people live in the southern part of the province or along the highways that connect southern Manitoba with La Pas and Flin Flon to the west, Thompson and beyond to Churchill in the north. A new RPA was created to incorporate these people until the 319,102 number was reached. It is important to note that while the maps may not be a perfect representation of Manitoba access, CM Consulting feels that the accuracy of the data provided is more important, as the new RPA accurately reflects the actual number of people served by the MMSB.

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8 8 Key Findings National Access Rates Figures 1 and 2 present national recycling access rates for residential recycling programs for two categories of materials: Plastic containers; and Non- container or specific- use plastics Note that the access rate for shopping bags and plastic film does not include R2R access. As shown in Figure 1, plastic containers are recycled at a very high rate in Canada. Most resins now show access rates over 90% for bottles, jugs, and jars, as well as non- bottle containers. Containers made of the most difficult to recycle resin, PS, now have access rates over 70% nationally. Also worth noting is that there is near countrywide access to recycling of PET and HDPE beverage containers. In most provinces, these containers are recovered under a deposit return program. The exceptions are Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, where they are collected at curbside. Non- container or specific- use plastics are not accepted in as many programs as container plastics. With that said, most of the materials in these categories show increases in access rate since the last time this report was prepared.

9 9 Figure 1 100% 90% 98% 99% 95% 96% 95% 93% 89% NaWonal Access Rates Container PlasWcs 95% 95% 95% 93% 91% 89% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 71% 71% In general, most programs now accept all types of containers, and are not limited to bottles, jugs, or jars. Plastic containers (bottles, jugs, jars, or non- bottles) numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 show national access rates of 89% or higher. Access to recycling containers made from PVC (#3) and other (#7) types of plastic has increased from 82% and 86%, respectively, to 89% and 90-91%, respectively, since the last report. Of all plastic container resins, polystyrene (PS) continues to be the most difficult to find a market for, and shows the lowest access rate to recycling. That being said, the increase from 63% in 2014 to 71% today is significant.

10 10 Figure 2 NaWonal Access Rates Non- Container or Specific- Use PlasWcs 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 66% 70% 71% 61% 60% 82% 50% 40% 41% 44% 30% 23% 20% 10% 0% 6% 0% 0% 1% Many programs in Canada only accept plastic containers. Some types of non- container special plastics, like plastic bags and foamed PS, show high rates of acceptance in specific RPAs (generally the more populated ones), while other plastic formats (e.g. multi- material laminate pouches) are not accepted in any of the country s programs. The access rate for the all film and bags category is now at 66%, up from 55% in 2014, and a slight increase from Most of this increase can be attributed to the City of Toronto, which expanded its recycling program to all types of plastic bags and film;

11 11 previously, only retail shopping bags were included. Retail shopping bags now have an access rate of 70%, up from 67% in PS foam food and protective packaging show access rates of 41% and 44%, respectively. Access to recycling foam products is concentrated in specific regions, with British Columbia (which has nearly universal depot access) and Ontario residents having the highest level of access, while PS foam recycling in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba is almost non- existent. Although the promotional materials for most programs do not specify if medium- and large- size buckets and tubs are accepted for recycling, these materials are considered recyclable if the program accepts all containers of all material types. Such containers over 1 litre but under 4 litres are accepted in programs serving 71% of the Canadian population. Some programs indicate a size limit, which was interpreted to mean that buckets and tubs of 4 litres and above were not accepted. One example is the City of Calgary, which states that no containers bigger than a basketball are accepted. These larger containers show an access rate of 61%.

12 12 Return to Retail (R2R) Recycling of Plastic Shopping Bags The residential access rate of 70% for plastic shopping bags is further supported by a network of retailers (mostly major grocery chains) that accept this material for recycling at their stores. A 2017 study provided to CM Consulting by the CPIA identified 1,165 stores across Canada that accept plastic shopping bags for recycling. These stores were mapped using GIS (Geographic Information Systems);census data was then used to determine the population with access to recycling shopping bags at a participating retailer. Access in this case was defined as residing within 10km of a participating store. Based on this definition, 77% of Canadians have access to recycling plastic shopping bags, and R2R access is highest in British Columbia (91%), Alberta (82%), and Ontario (84%). Because stores that accept bags tend to be in the most densely populated areas of the country, a small number of stores can serve a large portion of the province. In each province, at least 60% of the population is within 10km of the nearest participating store. Table 1: Provincial and National Access to R2R Recycling of Plastic Shopping Bags Province Population Within 10km of R2R Location Total Population Percentage of Total Population with Access to Recycling Plastic Shopping Bags via R2R Canada 27,016,822 35,151,728 77% British Columbia 4,224,455 4,648,055 91% Alberta 3,349,501 4,067,175 82% Saskatchewan 720,000 1,098,352 66% Manitoba 927,677 1,278,365 73% Ontario 11,309,109 13,448,494 84% Quebec 4,985,813 8,164,361 61% New Brunswick 470, ,101 63% Nova Scotia 631, ,598 68% Prince Edward Island 83, ,907 58% Newfoundlan d and Labrador 315, ,716 61% To determine the percentage of Canadians that have access to recycling plastic shopping bags via at least one of the systems (a residential program and/or R2R program), CM Consulting overlaid the municipal access rate of 70% with the R2R access rate of 77% and determined that 92% of Canada s population lives within 10km of a participating retailer, or resides in a RPA

13 (municipality, district, etc.) that accepts plastic shopping bags for recycling, or both. This means that of the 10 million people who do not have access to recycling plastic shopping bags in their municipal recycling system, a retailer covers 7 million of them. 13

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15 15 As shown in Table 2, retail stores can be very effective at adding to opportunities for consumers to recycle plastic shopping bags. Of Canada s 10.6 million residents who live in RPAs that do not collect shopping bags for recycling, over 7.5 million of them live within 10km of a store that does. The retail network is particularly effective at increasing access in Manitoba and Newfoundland where residential access to recycling shopping bags is 0%. In these two provinces, retailers alone provide access to 73% (nearly 1 million people) and 61% the population, respectively. In Ontario, the retail network provides access to over a third of the population (nearly 5 million people) that otherwise would not be able to recycle plastic bags. Almost 700,000 people in Alberta live in areas where plastic bags are not accepted in municipal recycling programs, but are within 10km of a retailer. Table 2: Provincial and National access to R2R recycling of plastic shopping bags Province Population 2016 Municipal Access R2R Access Municipal and/or R2R Access Population With Municipal and/or R2R Access Total 35,151,728 70% 77% 92% 32,174,958 British Columbia 4,648,055 99% 91% 100% 4,630,629 Alberta 4,067,175 71% 82% 88% 3,563,438 Saskatchewan 1,098,352 36% 66% 68% 746,126 Manitoba 1,278,365 0% 73% 73% 927,677 Ontario 13,448,494 55% 84% 92% 12,367,183 Quebec 8,164,361 94% 61% 97% 7,937,924 New Brunswick 747,101 70% 63% 83% 620,180 Nova Scotia 923, % 68% 100% 923,598 Prince Edward Island 142, % 58% 100% 142,907 Newfoundland and Labrador 519,716 0% 61% 61% 315,296 When looking at this table, it is important to remember that access does not translate directly into participation. In other words, just because 92% of the population has an opportunity to recycle plastic bags, does not mean that they will. To utilize the R2R access route, a consumer must physically go to that store, which could be up to 10km away. On the other hand, participation in municipal programs usually just requires consumers to place their materials at the curb on a specific day, or sometimes bring them to a depot (where they may already be going to drop off garbage). Of the two types of programs, CM Consulting believes that municipal collection is more convenient, and is therefore more likely to enhance participation.

16 16 Canadian Programs by Categories of Materials Accepted In the 2011 U.S. Plastic Recycling Collection: National Reach Study conducted by Moore Recycling Associates (MRA), recycling programs were defined as accepting one of several broad categories of materials; for example All Bottles and Non- Bottle Rigid Containers or All Bottles Only. For comparison purposes, the CPIA has requested that CM Consulting use the same categories as MRA for the 2017 study. The categories used by MRA are: All plastic All rigid plastics All bottles and non- bottle rigid containers and specific plastics All bottles and non- bottle rigid containers All bottles and specific plastics All bottles only PET and HDPE bottles and specific plastics PET and HDPE bottles only Other specific plastics No plastic program It is important to note that the categories used in the MRA study included caps. Unlike many U.S. recycling programs, many Canadian programs do not accept caps for recycling; therefore CM Consulting has tracked caps as a distinct category. In consultation with CPIA, CM Consulting decided to add a category that covered several programs that could not be properly categorized using the categories developed by MRA. That program category is All PET, HDPE, and PP bottles and containers. The results of the categorization are summarized in the following table.

17 17 Table 3: Summary of Plastics Summary of Plastics Percentage of Canadians with Access to Recycling All plastic 0% All rigid plastics 0% All bottles and non- 47% bottle rigid containers and specific plastics All bottles and non- 21% bottle rigid containers All bottles and specific 0% plastics All bottles only 0% All PET, HDPE, and PP 24% bottles and containers PET and HDPE bottles 3% and specific plastics PET and HDPE bottles 1% only Other specific plastics 0% No plastic program 4% 68% All Plastic Containers 96% All PET and HDPE Bottles, Jugs, and Jars There has been a trend towards accepting all household plastic containers in recycling programs. Many programs, especially in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, now incorporate PVC, PS, and #7 (other) plastic into their programs. This was first noted in 2014 when the access rate for all plastic container categories increased to 61% from 53%. This 2017 update shows that this trend has slowed down but continues. Currently 68% of Canadians have curbside or depot access to recycling all plastic containers. The national access rate for recycling programs that do not accept all plastic containers but that accept PET and HDPE bottles has remained steady at 96%. In 2014, CM Consulting added regional maps to this study for the first time. In this year s report, we offer regional maps dividing the country into six regions to show the specific areas where recycling programs offer all plastic container recycling (the 68% referred to in the graphic above).

18 18 British Columbia Recycling Program Areas (RPAs) in British Columbia are determined by municipal district. Many of the programs use Recycle BC s (formerly MMBC) list of accepted materials, which includes all plastic containers. While most of these districts are signed on with Recycle BC, there are a few regions that have not signed on, but are taking the same list of materials. There are a few regional districts that accept some but not all plastic containers for recycling. The most populated of these are East Kootenay and Sunshine Coast, shown on the map below in pink.

19 19 Alberta RPAs in Alberta are a combination of municipalities, counties, and groupings of populations served by waste management associations. Many parts of the province are rural and therefore not studied; these are depicted by yellow on the map. The map shows that the more heavily populated urban areas and a few of the smaller ones collect all plastic containers in their programs. With Red Deer now accepting all plastic bottles, jugs, and jars, and all plastic non- bottle rigid containers, there is no RPA covering over 25,000 people that does not accept all plastic containers.

20 20 Saskatchewan/Manitoba Due to low population density and the lack of a stewardship program plan (such as the programs in Ontario and BC), Saskatchewan does not have many programs with extensive plastic recycling. Saskatoon, Regina, and every other city over 11,000 people recycle all plastic containers, however, many of these do not show up very well on the map because they are small geographically. In Manitoba, the map looks very different this year because of the methodology change referred to on page 6. Similar to Saskatchewan, some of the programs do accept all plastics but do not show up very well on the map. These programs that do accept all plastic containers represent 59% of the province.

21 21 Ontario Geographically, large segments of Ontario are left out of this study because of their small population density. It is worth noting, however, that only 3% of the population lives in these areas. Many of the programs that serve the larger populations accept the full range of plastic containers. Eighty- eight percent of the population lives in one of these regions, in green. Almost all of the pink regions have plastic recycling programs that accept most plastic containers but do not accept one or two resins such as PVC or #7 (other).

22 22 Quebec Regions, districts, cities, or other groupings that accept all plastic containers appear in green on this map. Many programs in Quebec accept all plastic containers except those made from PS (#6) plastic; these programs are not considered to take all plastic containers and are shown in pink. Programs that accept all rigid plastic containers serve 17% of the population.

23 23 Atlantic Provinces Due to differences in geography and population density, the programs in Canada s Atlantic provinces have evolved in different directions. All of the RPAs that make up New Brunswick accept at least all PET and HDPE bottles, jugs, and jars. Only a couple of service commissions accept PS containers; these show up in green on the map and represent 37% of the population. The province of Nova Scotia has universal access to recycling of all plastic containers. All of Prince Edward Island (PEI) participates in the Waste Watch program, which is managed by Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC). Waste Watch accepts all PET and HDPE bottles as well as many other plastics, but not PS (#6). Because of this, PEI is pink on the map. Two regions in Newfoundland and Labrador have programs that offer access to recycling of all plastic containers. These regions are home to 68% of the population.

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25 25 Provincial Access Rates The following tables show the level of access to recycling various materials, by province. For example, Table 4 shows that of the 10 provinces surveyed, seven have universal access to recycling PET and HDPE beverage containers due to container deposit laws and depot/retailer return options. The exceptions were Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, where these are recycled via curbside programs, which are not available to 100% of the province. Non- deposit plastic bottles, jugs, and jars still show mostly high access rates, particularly those made of PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP. We can see in this table that some of the less commonly recycled materials, such as PVC, are less likely to be accepted in programs in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. Similarly, access to recycling of #6 PS is lowest in Prince Edward Island (0% access) and Quebec (at only 17%). Table 4 - Provincial Access Rates - Bottles, Jugs, and Jars Province Population PET Beverage PET Bottles, Jugs, and Jars HDPE Beverage HDPE Bottles, Jugs, and Jars PVC Bottles, Jugs, and Jars LDPE Bottles, Jugs, and Jars PP Bottles, Jugs, and Jars PS Bottles, Jugs, and Jars Other Bottles, Jugs, and Jars British Columbia 4,648, % 99% 100% 99% 99% 99% 99% 98% 98% Alberta 4,067, % 91% 100% 92% 90% 90% 90% 89% 90% Saskatchewan 1,098, % 60% 100% 60% 60% 60% 60% 60% 60% Manitoba 1,278,365 94% 94% 94% 94% 62% 94% 94% 59% 93% Ontario 13,448,494 98% 98% 98% 98% 92% 95% 96% 93% 88% Quebec 8,164,361 99% 99% 99% 99% 91% 96% 99% 17% 99% New Brunswick 747, % 100% 100% 100% 62% 80% 96% 37% 76% Nova Scotia 923, % 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Prince Edward Island 142, % 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 0% 0% Newfoundland 519, % 69% 100% 69% 69% 69% 69% 69% 69% CANADA 35,151,728 98% 95% 99% 96% 89% 93% 95% 71% 91%

26 26 Non- bottle rigid plastic containers follow the same pattern as bottles, jugs, and jars. PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP are accepted nearly universally in most provinces, with the exception of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. PVC non- bottle rigids are widely accepted in all provinces except for Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, where access rates are in the 60% range. Access to recycling PS non- bottle rigid is low in Quebec, New Brunswick, and is non- existent in Prince Edward Island. Table 5 - Provincial Access Rates - Non- Bottle Rigid Containers Province Population PET non- Bottle Rigid HDPE non- Bottle Rigid PVC non- Bottle Rigid LDPE non- Bottle Rigid PP non- Bottle Rigid PS non- Bottle Rigid Other non- Bottle Rigid British Columbia 4,648,055 99% 99% 99% 99% 99% 98% 96% Alberta 4,067,175 89% 91% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% Saskatchewan 1,098,352 60% 60% 60% 60% 60% 60% 60% Manitoba 1,278,365 94% 94% 62% 94% 94% 59% 93% Ontario 13,448,494 96% 956% 92% 95% 96% 93% 88% Quebec 8,164,361 99% 99% 91% 96% 99% 17% 99% New Brunswick 747, % 100% 62% 80% 96% 37% 76% Nova Scotia 923, % 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Prince Edward Island 142, % 100% 100% 100% 100% 0% 0% Newfoundland and Labrador 519,716 69% 69% 69% 69% 69% 69% 69% CANADA 35,151,728 95% 95% 89% 93% 95% 71% 90%

27 27 Table 6 - Provincial Access Rates - Non- Container or Specific- Use Plastics (Part One) Province Population HDPE, LDPE Film and Bags Retail Shopping Bags PS Foam Food Packaging PS Foam Protective Packaging HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS Buckets and Tubs >1L, <4L HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS Buckets and Tubs >4L British Columbia 4,648,055 95% 99% 93% 91% 93% 89% Alberta 4,067,175 68% 71% 5% 7% 87% 62% Saskatchewan 1,098,352 33% 36% 0% 0% 60% 60% Manitoba 1,278,365 0% 0% 0% 0% 58% 58% Ontario 13,448,494 53% 55% 47% 62% 93% 77% Quebec 8,164,361 94% 94% 36% 27% 17% 17% New Brunswick 747,101 19% 70% 32% 32% 45% 45% Nova Scotia 923,598 83% 100% 24% 24% 100% 100% Prince Edward Island 142,907 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% Newfoundland and Labrador 519,716 0% 0% 0% 0% 69% 69% CANADA 35,151,728 66% 70% 41% 44% 71% 61% The materials in the non- container or specific- use plastics category show a wide range of access rates. As shown in Tables 6 and 7, British Columbia has the highest (or close to the highest) access to recycling rate for each of the materials. Film and bags show high rates of access in British Columbia, Quebec, and Nova Scotia; access for a majority of the people in Alberta (very close to the national average); and just over half of Ontario s population. All other provinces have access rates below 50%. In the smaller sub- category retail shopping bags, the numbers are just a few points higher in most provinces except New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, where it is standard for a program to accept retail shopping bags, but not other plastic films.

28 28 In the PS foam categories, we see that foams are widely accepted in British Columbia (usually in depots, not curbside) but not so much in the rest of the country. Ontario shows a 47% access rate for foam food packaging, but only 62% for foam protective packaging. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia show access rates in the 20 and 30 percent range for foam, while foam recycling is non- existent in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. Table 7 - Provincial Access Rates - Non- Container or Specific- use Plastics (Part Two) Province Population Lids Single Serve Coffee Disc Straws and Stir sticks Multi Material Plastic Laminate Bag/Pouch Bulky Plastic Caps Horticultural Rigid Plastic British Columbia 4,648,055 87% 37% 0% 0% 0% 86% 98% Alberta 4,067,175 4% 0% 3% 0% 0% 60% 50% Saskatchewan 1,098,352 31% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 60% Manitoba 1,278,365 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 56% 90% Ontario 13,448,494 21% 0% 0% 0% 1% 43% 79% Quebec 8,164,361 1% 0% 0% 0% 0% 92% 99% New Brunswick 747,101 32% 34% 0% 0% 32% 44% 67% Nova Scotia 923,598 52% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 98% Prince Edward Island 142,907 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 100% Newfoundland and Labrador 519,716 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 69% CANADA 35,151,728 23% 6% 0% 0% 1% 60% 83%

29 29 For many of the other non- container or specific- use plastics we see very low access rates. Single serve coffee discs are only recyclable in British Columbia and New Brunswick. Straws and stir sticks can be recycled in a couple of RPAs in Alberta, but nowhere else. Not a single RPA studied accepts multi- material plastic laminate pouches for recycling, and bulky plastic is only accepted at a few depots in Ontario and in three pick- up programs (special pick- ups, not with standard curbside materials) in New Brunswick. Caps are accepted universally in Prince Edward Island and nearly universally in British Columbia and Quebec. Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and New Brunswick also have some programs that accept caps. Recycling of horticultural rigid plastic is accessible to at least half the population in each province, and in some provinces is nearly universal.

30 30 Material Summaries Container Plastics PET Beverage Bottles PET beverage bottles show a nearly universal access rate across Canada. Only in Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec are these containers not collected via deposit return programs. In these provinces, most of the population has access to recycling this material in their residential recycling programs. Figure 3 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 100% 100% 100% Provincial Access Rates PET Beverage Bo@les 94% 98% 99% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99%

31 31 PET Bottles, Jugs, and Jars Bottles, jugs, and jars made from PET show a 95% access rate nationally. Only in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland are the access rates below 90%. It is primarily in the rural, low population density areas of these provinces where this material is not permitted in the curbside/depot recycling system. Figure 4 Provincial Access Rates PET Bo@les, Jugs, and Jars 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% 91% 60% 94% 98% 99% 100% 100% 100% 69% 95%

32 32 HDPE Beverage Bottles HDPE beverage bottles show the same access rates as PET beverage bottles. This is because both materials are included under deposit in the same provinces. Figure 5 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 100% 100% 100% Provincial Access Rates HDPE Beverage Bo@les 94% 98% 99% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99%

33 33 HDPE Bottles, Jugs, and Jars HDPE bottles, jugs, and jars show similar access rates to PET bottles, jugs, and jars. This material is highly recyclable throughout most of Canada, but remains difficult to collect in the less populated RPAs of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. Figure 6 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates HDPE Bo@les, Jugs, and Jars 92% 60% 94% 98% 99% 100% 100% 100% 69% 96% The map below shows regions of Canada (in green) where bottles, jugs, and jars made from PET and HDPE are collected in municipal recycling programs. In all urban areas of the country, and in all regions of Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, programs provide access to recycling for bottles, jugs, and jars made from both of these resins. Close inspection shows that the parts of Saskatchewan that accept both of these materials are geographically small, and thus difficult to see; that being said, they do include the cities of Regina and Saskatoon, which together account for 57% of the province s population. Jurisdictions that accept bottles, jugs, and jars made from both resins cover roughly 95% of the country s population.

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35 35 PVC Bottles, Jugs, and Jars Plastic bottles, jugs, and jars made from PVC show a national access rate of 89%. Rates are highest in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, both of which have 100% access. British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec also have high access at over 90%. The lowest access rate for this material is in Saskatchewan (60%). Figure 7 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates PVC Bo;les, Jugs, and Jars 90% 92% 91% 60% 62% 62% 100% 100% 69% 89%

36 36 LDPE Bottles, Jugs, and Jars LDPE plastic containers show slightly lower access rates than the more commonly recycled PET or HDPE containers, but the national rate is still high at 93%. Most of the programs that serve the more populated RPAs accept this material. Figure 8 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates LDPE Bo;les, Jugs, and Jars 90% 60% 94% 95% 96% 80% 100% 100% 69% 93%

37 37 PP Bottles, Jugs, and Jars PP bottles, jugs, and jars show the same access trends as containers made from most other resin types. Access rates of 90% or higher can be seen in all provinces except Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. Figure 9 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates PP Bo;les, Jugs, and Jars 90% 94% 96% 99% 96% 60% 100% 100% 69% 95%

38 38 Other (#7) Bottles, Jugs, and Jars Of all container plastic types, #7 (other) is one of the most difficult to recycle. Still, it has a national access rate of 91%. The provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia all show access rates of 90% or higher for this material. The only province that has zero access to recycling #7 bottles, jugs, and jars is PEI. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 98% Provincial Access Rates Other (#7) Bo;les, Jugs, and Jars 90% 93% 88% 60% 99% 100% 76% 0% 69% 91%

39 39 PET Non- Bottle Rigid Containers Regardless of the format it is in (e.g. bottle or clamshell), PET is a desirable resin for plastics reclaimers and therefore access to recycling non- bottle rigid containers is high. The two exceptions where access is relatively low are Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates PET Non- Bo;le Rigid Containers 89% 60% 94% 96% 99% 100% 100% 100% 69% 95% The map on the next page shows regions in Ontario that accept PET non- bottle rigids in the recycling program (in green). The pink regions represent areas where these are not accepted. The areas in pink surrounded by a red border (e.g. Thunder Bay, City of Sault Ste. Marie) are those that have a population of 50,000 or greater and do not accept these containers.

40 40

41 41 HDPE Non- Bottle Rigid Containers Like PET, HDPE is a desirable resin for plastics reclaimers and therefore access to recycling of non- bottle rigid containers is high. Again, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland are the two exceptions, showing lower access rates (below 70%) than other provinces. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates HDPE Non- Bo;le Rigid Containers 91% 94% 96% 60% 99% 100% 100% 100% 69% 95%

42 42 PVC Non- Bottle Rigid Containers PVC non- bottle rigid containers have a national access rate of 89%. While access is lower in some of the smaller provinces, it is the unserved populations in the more populated provinces of Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec that bring the national rate down. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates PVC Non- Bo;le Rigid Containers 90% 92% 91% 60% 62% 62% 100% 100% 69% 89%

43 43 LDPE Non- Bottle Rigid Containers LDPE non- bottle rigid containers show nearly the same access rates as LDPE bottles, jugs, and jars. Nationally, the rate is 93%, with the more populated and densely populated provinces showing the highest rates. The only provinces showing rates below 90% are Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates LDPE Non- Bo;le Rigid Containers 90% 94% 95% 96% 80% 60% 100% 100% 69% 93%

44 44 PP Non- Bottle Rigid Containers Like other non- bottle rigid containers, those made from PP are highly recyclable in most provinces, with the exception of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland. These provinces still have access, but the rates are between 60% and 69%. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates PP Non- Bo;le Rigid Containers 90% 94% 96% 60% 99% 96% 100% 100% 69% 95%

45 45 PS Non- Bottle Rigid Containers Polystyrene is one of the most difficult to recycle plastic resins. In Quebec, the second most populated province, there is an access rate of only 17%. This brings the national rate down significantly. The only province to offer universal access to recycling of this material is Nova Scotia. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 98% Provincial Access Rates PS Non- Bo;le Rigid Containers 90% 93% 60% 59% 37% 17% 100% 0% 69% 71%

46 46 Other (#7) Non- Bottle Rigid Containers Non- bottle rigids made from #7 plastic can be recycled near universally in British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec. Access is highest in Nova Scotia at 100%, and national access is 90%. Despite this high level of access, rates for other non- bottle rigids are still lower than most other resins in other provinces. The majority (by number, not percentage) of those without access to recycling #7 plastics live in Alberta and Ontario. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 96% Provincial Access Rates Other (#7) Non- Bo;le Rigid Containers 90% 93% 88% 60% 99% 100% 76% 69% 0% 90%

47 47 Non- container or Specific- use Plastics HDPE, LDPE Film and Bags The recycling access rate for film and bags saw a boost in 2014 with the introduction of the Recycle BC program in British Columbia. Since then, other provinces, most notably Ontario and Quebec, have also seen their programs expand to accept all film and bags. As a result, the national rate has grown from 55% in 2014 to 66% today. Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 95% Provincial Access Rates HDPE and LDPE Film and Bags 94% 83% 68% 53% 33% 19% 0% 0% 0% 66%

48 48 Retail Shopping Bags In most provinces, access to recycling retail shopping bags is slightly higher than for film and bags. One notable example is Prince Edward Island, where 100% of the population can recycle retail bags, but not other plastic films. Nationwide, 70% of Canadians can recycle shopping bags, compared to 66% for all film and bags. All provinces have access rates at or above the national average with the exception of Saskatchewan (36%) and Ontario (55%). Figure % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 99% Provincial Access Rates Retail Shopping Bags 94% 71% 70% 55% 36% 0% 100% 100% 0% 70%

49 49 HDPE, LDPE Film and Bags and Plastic Shopping Bags by Region As in previous years, this report includes regional maps that show which regions have access to recycling retail shopping bags and all film and bags, and whether they are collected curbside, at depot, or not at all. For the first time in 2017, this report also includes maps that show the combined municipal and R2R access for each region. Each region (Except BC) has three or more maps. The first map shows municipal access only; the second shows both municipal and R2R coverage, highlighting cities or towns that do not have access (either through their municipal program or retail store); and the last map(s) shows a detailed close up of the cities or towns of the regions highlighting RPAs with over 4,000 people that do not have retail or municipal access to recycling plastic shopping bags. The purpose of such detailed maps is twofold. One is to point out where the retail network is successfully providing access to people who do not get it from the municipality. The second is to show the CPIA where there are gaps in coverage and where they should target their efforts for increasing retailer participation in the R2R shopping bag collection program.

50 50 British Columbia British Columbia has very high access rates for retail shopping bags (99%) and all film and bags (95%). That access is primarily through depots. Over 90% of those with access have depot drop- off via the Recycle BC program as opposed to curbside pick- up. The inset map shows the small parts of the Vancouver area that accept film and bags at curbside (Delta and Maple Ridge), and also the one RPA in the province (Hope) that does not have any depot or curbside collection of plastic shopping bags.

51 The retail network in British Columbia can be seen here as circles that cover each store and its 10km radius. Because there are very few parts of the province that are unserved by municipal programs, only the populations of Hope (inset) and Fort Nelson are added to the provincial access rate by the inclusion of the retail network. 51

52 52 Alberta Most Albertans (68%) have access to recycling all film products while 71% have access to municipal recycling for at least retail shopping bags. Most of those covered live in Edmonton and Calgary and can recycle film in their curbside recycling. The RPAs that take film at depots represent 5% of the population. The two largest RPAs that do not accept plastic shopping bags are Red Deer and Lethbridge. The following two maps show the R2R stores layered over the RPAs of Alberta; as shown in the maps, the retail network covers 82% of the population and nearly 680,000 people that have no municipal access to recycling plastic shopping bags, including most of those in Lethbridge. The maps also reveal populations that are not served by either municipal programs or retail stores. On the larger scale map we can see that St. Paul and Redcliff, both of which have populations over 5,000, are two areas that are unserved by either program.

53 53 The next map is a close- up of the inset area in the red box, where Alberta s most densely populated centres are. In the population centre map, we can see that the retail network covers most of the cities and towns that are in RPAs that do not collect plastic shopping bags, like Red Deer or Airdrie. The analysis also shows that there are seven more (beyond St. Paul and Redcliff) populations over 5,000 people that are in RPAs that do not collect shopping bags and are not within 10km of a retail store that collects them either. The largest is Morinville with nearly 10,000 people. Others are Devon, Blackfalds (a portion of which is actually between 9 and 10 km from the nearest participating retail store), Ponoka, Innisfail, Didsbury, and Langdon.

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55 55 Saskatchewan and Manitoba Thirty- six percent of Saskatchewan residents have access to municipal recycling programs for plastic shopping bags. Those who have access reside in the urban areas of Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Swift Current, and several small towns. Because these areas are small geographically, they are difficult to view on the map. There is no film recycling in Manitoba under the Multi- Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM) program.

56 56 The retail stores that participate in the R2R program provide access to recycling plastic shopping bags to nearly twice as many people as the municipal recycling programs do. The largest population centre in Sakatchewan with no municipal or R2R service is White City, near the US border, with 4,234 people. In Manitoba, where there is no municipal plastic shopping bag recycling, the retail network provides access to 73% of the population, including all the major population centres, Winnipeg and Brandon. Thompson is the largest population centre that does not have a participating retailer. The close- up map shows a few populations of just over 4,000 people that are not within 10km of a participating retailer. The largest of these is Morden,which has a population of roughly 8,000. The others are Stonewall, Oakbank, Niverville, and Altona.

57 57

58 58 Ontario In Ontario, just over half (53%) the population has access to recycling all film plastics, while 55% can recycle at least retail shopping bags. Most of these people reside in the southern part of the province but a few urban centres in the north (e.g. Sudbury) are collecting all film at curbside as well.

59 59 The R2R network covers nearly every major population centre in Ontario. Over 11 million people, representing 84% of the province, live within 10km of a participating retailer. In northern Ontario, the only populations over 5,000 that are not serviced by either the municipality or by a retail store are Elliot Lake and Kirkland Lake. The following maps are close- ups of the three most populated regions in Ontario (shown in the red boxes on the larger- scale map above).

60 60 In the detailed map of South Central Ontario, we can see that the retail network and the municipal programs combine to provide access to most of the population. That being said, there are several populations that are served by neither program; the largest of these are Fergus, with over 20,000 residents, and Alliston- New Techumseh, with nearly 19,000 people. Other notable unserved populations are Angus- Borden CFB, Acton, Port Perry, and Shelbourne. In South Western Ontario, the analysis shows that there are only a few large populations that are unserved by either municipal or retail access. The largest of these are Paris, with over 12,000 people, and Aylmer and Essex (both over 7,000).

61 In the National Capital Region, most of the larger population centers are covered by municipal programs, R2R stores, or both. Petawawa, at just under 14,000 people, is the largest population centre that is not served by either. Other unserved populations worth noting are Embrun, Manotick Station, Almonte, Richmond, and Russel. 61

62 62 Quebec At 94%, the access rates for plastic shopping bags and all film and bags in Quebec are among the highest in the country. Nearly all of those with access live in regions that offer curbside collection, with one region offering only depot recycling of plastic film and shopping bags. This means that there are few populations that rely on the retail network for access. This could help explain why Quebec s retail network serves a smaller percentage of the population than nearly any other provinces, at 61%. It is interesting to note, though, that of that 61%, nearly 250,000 people do not receive municipal access to recycling plastic shopping bags.

63 63 We can see in the map below that the retail stores are concentrated in the more densely populated areas, and mostly in regions that provide municipal access. However, the inset shows that there are some populated areas with no access to either type of collection program. For example, there are two populations in the Saguenay area that house many people but have no access to recycling plastic shopping bags. One of these is Chicoutami- Jonquiere, where over 36,000 people live more than 10km away from the nearest store in Saguenay. A further 27,341 are more than 5km from that store. The second Saguenay- area population that is unserved is Port Alfred- Bagotville, which has a population of just under 14,000. South of Quebec City is Sainte- Marie, a town of over 11,000 people with no municipal or R2R access to recycling plastic shopping bags.

64 64

65 65 Atlantic Provinces In New Brunswick, 47% of the province s population has access to programs that collect all bags and films at curbside. Another two RPAs making up 22% of the population only take retail shopping bags, which means that 69% of the province has access to recycling at least shopping bags through their municipal program. In Nova Scotia, retail shopping bags are universally accepted in municipal programs, but only two RPAs including the largest, Halifax Regional Municipality accept all film plastics, which accounts for 52% of the population. The PEI Waste Watch program accepts shopping bags but no other film. There is no film recycling at all in Newfoundland and Labrador.

66 66 The R2R network provides access to recycling plastic shopping bags to over 300,000 people in Newfoundland and nearly 100,000 in New Brunswick that do not have any municipal option for doing so. There are three populations with over 4,000 people in the Atlantic provinces that have no municipal or retail access to recycling plastic shopping bags. Deer Lake, Newfoundland is shown on the large- scale map above, and the map below shows Edmunstun and Grand Falls/Grand Sault in New Brunswick.

67 67

68 68 Key Findings: Access to Recycling of Plastic Shopping Bags in Municipal Recycling Systems and Return- to- Retail Programs The first key finding is that the R2R network provides access to recycling of plastic shopping bags to millions of people, many (over 7 million) of which do not have the option to recycle this material in their municipal system. This access is therefore very important. With that being said, there are still many people that do not have the option of recycling plastic shopping bags at all. One of the key purposes of this study is to identify ways to improve access to recycling plastic shopping bags. The detailed analysis has identified many cities and towns where the addition of a R2R collection program would provide access to thousands of more people who currently have no such access. For guidance purposes, Table 8 presents a comprehensive list of unserved (i.e. no access to either municipal or R2R recycling) cities and towns across the country, by population (Note: The table only shows populations over 4,000). In each of these cities/towns, there are probably retail stores that could offer a R2R program for plastic shopping bags to increase access to recycling; these are the stores that CPIA should be targeting.

69 69 Table 8 - Unserved Populations - Canada City/Town Province Population Fergus Ontario 20,767 Alliston Ontario 18,809 Port- Alfred- Bagotville Quebec 13,865 Thompson Manitoba 12,878 Angus - Borden CFB- BFC Ontario 12,640 Edmundston New Brunswick 12,086 Sainte- Marie Quebec 11,083 Elliot Lake Ontario 10,498 Morinville Alberta 9,848 Port Perry Ontario 9,453 Shelburne Ontario 8,126 Morden Manitoba 7,907 Port Elgin Ontario 7,862 Aylmer Ontario 7,621 Essex Ontario 7,446 Innisfail Alberta 6,927 Embrun Ontario 6,918 Ponoka Alberta 6,899 Devon Alberta 6,578 Happy Valley- Goose Bay Newfoundland and Labrador 6,408 Kirkland Lake Ontario 6,305 Manotick Station Ontario 5,738 St. Paul Alberta 5,728 Corunna Ontario 5,686 Petrolia Ontario 5,375 Langdon Alberta 5,060 Almonte Ontario 5,039 Tilbury Ontario 4,768 Stonewall Manitoba 4,644 Mount Forest Ontario 4,643 Rockwood Ontario 4,629 Oakbank Manitoba 4,604 Deer Lake Newfoundland and Labrador 4,602 Walkerton Ontario 4,517 Russell Ontario 4,464 Blenheim Ontario 4,344 Grand Falls / Grand- Sault New Brunswick 4,221 Altona Manitoba 4,167 Niverville Manitoba 4,083

70 70 The following table shows populations that are either 5 to 10 km away from a participating retailer (underserved) or on the edge of a retail store radius therefore part of the population is more than 10 km and some are within 10 km (partially unserved). In all of these cities/towns, adding more retail partners to the R2R program would increase and/or provide better access to recycling plastic shopping bags. Table 9 - Underserved or Partially Unserved Populations - Canada City/Town Province Population Petawawa Ontario 13,701 Paris Ontario 12,310 Acton Ontario 9,462 Blackfalds Alberta 8,749 King Ontario 6,970 Redcliff Alberta 5,474 Didsbury Alberta 5,222 Tottenham Ontario 5,143 Nobleton Ontario 4,614 White City Saskatchewan 4,234 Richmond Ontario 4,055 Stayner Ontario 4,029

71 71 PS Foam Food Packaging British Columbia is the nation s runaway leader in access to recycling foamed PS; at 93%, it is significantly above the national average. The Recycle BC program accepts this material at depots across the province. There is zero access to recycling this material in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, PEI, and Newfoundland. Figure 20 Provincial Access Rates PS Foam Food Packaging 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 93% 5% 0% 0% 47% 36% 32% 24% 0% 0% 41% The national and provincial maps on the following pages show, in green, the RPAs that have curbside or depot access to recycling PS foam food packaging. RPAs in pink and bordered in red are highly populated RPAs that do not take foam food packaging for recycling. These areas have populations over 500,000 and would have a significant impact on the national and provincial access rates if they were to accept these materials. In the map below, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Region of Durham, Region of Waterloo, Region of Halton and Ottawa are identified as large districts that do not accept PS foam food packaging for recycling. It is important to note that while Region of Durham and Region of Waterloo do not accept foam food packaging, they do accept foam protective packaging.

72 72

73 73 If these six RPAs were to add PS foam food packaging to their recyclable materials, the access rate would rise from 41% to nearly 60% Table 10 Populated RPAs in Canada that do not accept PS Foam Food Packaging *Regions of Durham and Waterloo accept PS foam protective packaging. The next section includes maps showing regional access to recycling PS foam food packaging.

74 74 PS Foam Food Packaging by Region British Columbia The Recycle BC program offers depot collection of PS foam packaging. With Abbotsford now part of the program, there is just one district (Thompson- Nicola, population ~128,000) with a population over 100,000 that does not offer any collection of PS foam food packaging. Table 11 Populated RPAs in BC that do not accept PS Foam Food Packaging

75 75 Alberta There is very little PS foam recycling in Alberta. Only 5% of the population has access to facilities that accept PS foam food packaging for recycling; the majority of those are in Strathcona County and Grand Prairie (depot only). If Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer which have a combined population of around 2 million were to accept these materials, the provincial rates would increase to roughly 60%. This would also increase the national access rate significantly. Table 12 Populated RPAs in AB that do not accept PS Foam Food Packaging

76 76 Saskatchewan and Manitoba Municipal PS foam recycling service does not exist in Saskatchewan or Manitoba. Table 13 Populated RPAs in SK/MB that do not accept PS Foam Food Packaging

77 77 Ontario Ontario currently has a 47% access rate for PS foam food packaging (down from 55% last year). The rate for PS foam protective packaging is significantly higher at 62%. The most populated RPAs that do not accept PS foam food packaging are the Region of Waterloo, Region of Durham, Region of Halton, York Region, and the City of Ottawa. Of these, York, Waterloo and Durham accept PS foam protective packaging at depots. Table 14 Populated RPAs in Ontario that do not accept PS Foam Food Packaging

78 78 Quebec Access to PS foam recycling in Quebec remains low, and is only available in the biggest cities. The City of Quebec takes PS foam food packaging (but not protective PS foam), and a depot in Montreal accepts both types of PS foam packaging. The provincial access rates for PS foam food packaging and PS foam protective packaging are 36% and 27%, respectively. If programs in the populated areas of Laval, Longueil, Gatineau, and the Régie de gestion des matières résiduelles GMR de la Mauricie were to expand programs to accept PS foam food packaging, the provincial rate for this material would increase to over 50%. Table 15 Populated RPAs in QC that do not accept PS Foam Food Packaging

79 79 Atlantic Provinces All four Atlantic provinces show access rates below the national average for PS foam food packaging. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have access rates of 32% and 24%, respectively, for both types of PS packaging. There is no PS foam recycling of either type in PEI or Newfoundland. Table 16 Populated RPAs in the Altantic provinces that do not accept PS Foam Food Packaging