The Canadian Biogas Association (CBA) has recently released a new proposed standard, the Canadian Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Guideline, with a “view to assist[ing] stakeholders in siting, design, approval, and operations of AD facilities that process food and other organic waste materials in Canada.” The timing for the release of the new standard, with comments due September 11, 2019, could not be more opportune. AD as Regulatory Strategy AD has long been one of the few…
This week is Baker & McKenzie’s annual International Environmental Conference in Chicago, Illinois on June 19-21, 2019. Jonathan Cocker is moderating the panel, “Understanding the Scope of the Circular Economy Dilemma – The Global Plastics Challenge”. The panelists include Tim Carey (PepsiCo), Mario Facio (B&M – Mexico City), Renata Amaral (B&M – Sao Paulo), Pascal Mallien (B&M – Antwerp), Doug Sanders (B&M – Chicago). The panel will discuss a high level overview of circular economy…
As the pace quickens in imposing full Extended Producer Responsibility for numerous regulated products and materials under Ontario’s Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, the first design-for-environment (DfE) regulatory standards have been introduced, and e-waste (along with lighting and batteries) will be the test case. DfE has long featured as an aspirational goal of the European Union circular economy program, but it’s been commonly out of reach of institutional product stewardship programs unable to…
There is no question that dramatic changes are coming for the supply and reverse supply chain for plastics that will impact packaging, containers, and plastic products. From resins and polymer mixes to ocean plastic clean up and waste export bans and everything in between, it is difficult to not foresee a fundamental regime shift coming for the regulation of plastics globally. But just who decides on these new rules and how will disparate initiatives and…
The interprovincial and international movement of hazardous recyclable materials, such as used batteries, is already big business and will only grow in the coming years in North America. Internationally, no less than 99% of all (lawful) hazardous recyclables (and hazardous waste) exported from, or imported to, Canada are with the United States. The coming restrictions under amendments to the Basel Convention will also strengthen and foster demand for North American-based hazardous materials recycling as transfers to…
This might have been the perfect opportunity for Health Canada to finally put a regulatory stake in the ground and define the rules for the safe reuse of (non-sharps) medical devices, with or without refurbishment and/or other reprocessing. After all, Health Canada’s Action Plan on Medical Devices defined its mandate as “continuously improving safety, effectiveness and quality” of medical devices, all of which are directly relevant to the burgeoning market for used medical devices. Presumably…
The attention currently devoted to plastics waste in both the public and private sectors is breathtaking. A growing number of international brands have made recycled content commitments for their plastic packaging and related containers. The European Union’s Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy has begun implementing changes to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the UK Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has just released a well-developed plastics packaging taxation…
Ontario’s waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) stewardship obligations are being transitioned to a circular economy legal regime. The government-overseen e-waste program is being wound-up and will effectively cease as of June 30, 2020. The program has managed to generate such a surplus of funds from consumers it otherwise would pay the electronics recycling industry that it’s obtained approval from the Ontario government to grant the industry, and presumably in turn, consumers a “fee holiday”…
The calls for dramatic regulatory changes addressing food and other organic waste are echoing across international and domestic markets. Commercial food companies from producers, post-harvest handling and storage operators, processors and manufacturers, distributers and retailers will have obligations under the coming circular economy regimes to both recapture the resource value from food waste and to prevent its landfill disposal. The time for the food industry to provide input into these changes, both globally and locally,…
As part of the legal directive to transfer current government-overseen waste diversion obligations to a privately-run Individual Producer Responsibility regime (IPR), the Ontario Ministry of the Environment is currently holding consultations with stakeholders in the electronics/electrical equipment (EEE) and batteries industries regarding the coming circular economy regulation for EEE and batteries (and their packaging) and key decisions affecting industry are in the process of being made. What’s the Mandate? In understanding the anticipated reach of…