Stewardship Ontario and Waste Diversion Ontario’s
Continuous Improvement Fund
Identify Companies to Pilot Blue Box Plastics Project

In a joint project to improve markets for Blue Box rigid and film plastic packaging numbers one to seven, Stewardship Ontario and the Continuous Improvement Fund (CIF) have accepted proposals from two Ontario companies to develop, as an initial pilot, up to 25,300 tonnes per year of new processing capacity for mixed blue box plastics. This initiative is in response to calls from municipalities, stewards and other stakeholders for improved domestic markets for these materials.

The companies, Entropex of Sarnia and EFS Plastics Inc. of Elmira were selected from companies which responded to a joint RFP that closed in March.

The pilot project focuses on plastic packaging streams where numbers one and two plastic bottle grades may have been removed already through MRF processing, and/or recyclable film plastic from Ontario households.

Fifty percent of the total cost of the project is being funded by Stewardship Ontario and CIF which will contribute $2.4 million and $1.9 million respectively.  Additionally, CIF will fund a project to identify and address possible collection/processing impacts and support long-term municipal contractors. Each of Entropex and EFS will contribute 50% of the cost of their respective projects.

Next steps include sourcing a supply of Blue Box plastics through agreements with municipalities. Stewardship Ontario and CIF will begin working with interested municipalities to start the project in 2010 running through 2011.  If the pilot proves successful beyond 2011, the goal would be to expand it to increase capacity and to divert more plastic packaging through Ontario’s recycling system. 

Stewardship Ontario and CIF staff would like municipalities to begin considering how their operations might increase the collection and supply of recycled plastics to support this initiative. If your municipality would like more information about the initiative and the potential implications for municipalities, please contact either Andy Campbell or Guy Perry.

This initiative follows a successful Stewardship Ontario project to improve markets for Blue Box glass, which employed a similar RFP process and involved municipalities to secure material. A new plant is now open in Brampton and processing mixed broken glass collected through municipal Blue Box programs and intends to bring in additional quantities of municipally sourced glass.

Stewardship Ontario and CIF recently also have begun to work with the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) to test the re-processing and marketing of PET thermoform containers, e.g., PET clamshells and trays from US and Ontario commercial recycling operations. Initial tests will begin this summer.

For further information please contact:

Guy Perry
Director, Technical Services
StewardEdge
For Stewardship Ontario
(647-777-3354)

Andy Campbell
Director, Continuous Improvement Fund
(705-719-7913)

Stewardship Ontario
21 St. Clair Ave. East, Suite 503
Toronto, ON M4T 1L9
Tel: 416-323-0101
Fax: 416-323-3185
Email: info@stewardshipontario.ca
Website: www.stewardshipontario.ca

Continuous Improvement Fund
92 Caplan Avenue, Suite 511
Barrie, Ontario L4N 0Z7
Tel: 705-719-7913 
Email: andycampbell.wdo.ca
Website: www.wdo.ca/cif