City opting in to Extended Producer Responsibility regulation
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on December 11, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
Lethbridge city council unanimously voted Tuesday to opt-in to the new Extended Producer Responsibility regulation established by the Alberta government.
The regulation makes the producer of printed paper and packaging responsible for the lifecycle of the material.
The program starts on April 1 and means city residents will no longer pay for curbside recycling on their utility bills.
Council made the vote after hearing a presentation by Waste and Environment general manager Mandi Parker who said in a report to council that while EPR is for residential and multi-family dwellings that have service provided by the City, those multi-family units that have an exemption to the program will stay at the status quo and will be brought in to the second phase in October of 2026.
The City will become a contractor for the delivery of recycling services which at another date could be provided by another contractor, says the report.
The City’s blue bin program is presently a utility charge on residences’ bills and is about $9 per month or a net of $7 with a two-dollar reduction on the garbage utility charge.
Residents will see reduced fees with the EPR program and those fees will be removed from their utility bills starting April 1.
“”Extended producer responsibility (EPR) shifts the physical and financial burden of collecting, sorting, processing and recycling waste to product producers and away from local governments and taxpayers. Alberta’s new EPR system will focus on single-use products, packaging and paper products, as well as hazardous and special products. EPR means producers take responsibility at end-of-life for the products and packaging they put on the market,” says Parker’s report.
Council heard that accepted items for the blue carts will remain the status quo.
The second phase of the EPR program to be implemented in October, 2026 will provide the city the opportunity to expand its collection services, pending the contract extension or request for quote to areas such as Sunset Acres, Mountain Meadows, Fairview, Coalhurst and other areas near the city.
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Producer responsibility? Maybe in your dream world . Definitely not financially. We the taxpayer will simply be paying more ,again . City balks at recycling again .