Alberta Party will put more money in your pocket by ending double dipping for recycling.
An Alberta Party government will end Alberta’s status as the only province in Canada to not have an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program. Albertans pay twice for the cost of their recycling. Once when they purchase an item, where the costs of EPR have already been included in the price of goods, and a second time in their municipal taxes.
“The NDP Government’s lack of action on recycling has left taxpayers paying twice. We will work with stakeholders to ensure funds for product recycling are used for recycling. Alberta is the only province that still has not moved to a modern EPR framework. This is hurting every Alberta family and business.” - Stephen Mandel, Leader of the Alberta Party
The Alberta Party is committed to proposing innovative and practical solutions that improve the lives of Albertans.
Alberta is currently the only province in the country that does not have a regulated EPR program. This means we are paying twice for recycling - first at the till - and later again in municipal taxes.
In 2016, industry provided $367 million to fund Provincial recycling programs, yet Alberta received $0 . With EPR the costs of the end of life of the product are the responsibility of the producers of the materials, instead of taxpayers . These costs are already built into the prices many of the materials and goods Albertans purchase.
An Alberta Party government will take a multi-staged approach working with affected stakeholders.
- Designing and implementing an EPR program.
- Updating regulations to respond to current recycling market conditions.
- Working with municipalities and other stakeholders to improve recycling and waste diversion rates in the province.
- Ensure Alberta Recycling Management Authority can adjust fees on items such as tires, electronics and oil to ensure users pay to recycle these goods instead of taxpayers.
Statistics Canada data shows, Alberta is the most wasteful province in Canada with under 20% of waste being diverted from landfills in 2014. The national rate is 36%.
Many recycling regulations are out of date with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority not having the ability to set rates for items such as paint, used oil, electronics and tires. Costs or processing these materials have increased over the years. These costs are being subsidized by municipal taxpayers instead of being covered by those that are using these materials.
Municipalities such as Medicine Hat, Edson, Devon, Airdrie and the City of Calgary along with organizations such as the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and the Recycling Council of Alberta have all advocated for the development of an EPR framework.
An Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Action Plan was accepted by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment in 2009 that Alberta has failed to implement.