ILSR has been working with grassroots recyclers, Zero Waste Canada and Zero Waste International Alliance to prevent garbage incinerators and improper EPR regulations in British Columbia, Canada.
Incineration
As is typical in garbage incineration efforts, environmental groups are the first to be alarmed at proposed garbage incineration, followed by business interests that fear increased taxes to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars for increased operating costs and debt retirement.
Last week the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce, The Tri-City Board of Trade and the Surrey Board of Trade, three of the more powerful business organizations in the Province, unanimously and vigorously came out against the project. The Canadian Taxpayers Association is opposed to favorable rates for electricity sales that the plant would need to stay financially healthy. The association fears that subsidies will impact all energy customers beyond British Columbia.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Across the continent in Halifax, Nova Scotia, The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has come out against the expansion of EPR in that province. “The introduction of EPR other provinces has been a complete disaster and a red tape nightmare for small business”, stated the Federation’s senior policy analyst. The system is far too costly. Sims Metal Company announced in August that it will close all facilities in Ontario and British Columbia as a result of the EPR system that has been imposed in these provinces.
Developments in Canada are following trends in Europe where the German industry run EPR system is being dismantled because the lack of competition has doubled the cost of recycling.
Neil Seldman, president of ILSR will be speaking on EPR and local economic development at the Zero Waste Canada and Zero Waste International Alliance zero waste conference in October 2014 in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Zero Waste.
See:
See Who Thinks Metro Vancouver’s Incinerator Is Still A Good Idea? – Huffington Post British Columbia, updated July 29, 2014
CFIB urges Nova Scotia to pause costly recycling proposal – Daily Business Buzz, September 2, 2014
