June 11, 2021
The Ontario government has just published a new regulation for paint recycling as part of proposed new Hazardous and Special Products (HSP) regulation.
The Canadian Paint and Coatings Association (CPCA) says it was pleased to see that the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks committed to ensuring that the new regulation would “moderately reduce the administrative cost to business.”
Paint manufacturers have been committed to post-consumer paint recycling since EPR programs for waste recovery began in 2009 in Canada, says CPCA. Paint recycling is mandated under provincial jurisdiction across Canada and managed effectively by program operators in all 10 provinces.
In Ontario, the non-Blue Box programs or non-packaging producers, have always paid 100 percent of the costs for recycling as they do in all provinces. For paint recycling in Ontario, this represents more than 10,000 tonnes of paint waste recycled annually, which is more than a third of the total recovered under the current MHSW program. It represents the equivalent volume required to paint 250,000 average size homes.
“Manufacturers remain hopeful that the final regulation will be based on an approach that recognizes the success of the paint recycling program in Ontario, which will continue to deliver for the benefit of Ontarians and the environment,” says Gary LeRoux, President, and CEO of CPCA.
CPCA says over the past six years, the program operator for paint recycling in Ontario increased the number of retail drop-off sites 53 percent. In addition, hundreds of municipal depots and events have provided Ontarians with many options to return leftover paint for recycling. This strong accessibility approach has been the main reason for the consistent success of the paint recycling program in Ontario.
Municipalities are strong partners in helping the paint industry achieve such success at their municipal depots and events across the province, all funded by paint manufacturers, says CPCA. Their residents also benefit from this partnership as 70 percent of the total fees paid by manufacturers for paint waste collection goes to municipalities.
The paint industry in Ontario will continue working with the Ontario government to ensure that the final HSP regulation supports the continued success of paint recycling while helping meet the goal of reducing administrative costs for business.