Bill 83, The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Amendment Act, would enable the creation of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework that shifts the physical and financial responsibility of recycling waste to industry product and packaging producers and away from local governments and taxpayers.
If passed, Bill 83 will support innovation and create jobs through new provincial systems for managing single-use plastics, packaging and paper products, and hazardous and special products like household pesticides and solvents. Bill 83 would also support Alberta’s transition to a plastics circular economy that ensures plastics are kept out of landfills for longer, not just by reuse and recycling but also by remanufacturing into new products.
Alberta is currently the only province without an EPR framework. This results in an inconsistent patchwork of recycling waste where we send 1,034 kg per person of waste annually to landfills, more than any other Canadian jurisdiction and the national average of 710 kg.
Proposed changes were informed by public and stakeholder feedback received during the EPR engagement earlier in 2021. Developing a plastics circular economy is a key part of Alberta’s Natural Gas Vision and Strategy and will contribute positively to Alberta’s recovery.
Key changes
If passed, the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Amendment Act will:
- enable the creation of effective and efficient producer-run provincial recycling systems for single-use plastics, packaging and paper products, and hazardous and special products
- maximize government’s flexibility by setting collection and recovery requirements in regulation, rather than in statute, ensuring that producer-run material collection and recovery programs can be customized to best suit their needs while still meeting performance targets and expectations
- ensure that regulatory requirements are reasonable and enforceable by allowing exemptions for various elements of EPR systems, such as the designated materials, types of activities, or classification of industry
- ensure that the necessary information can be collected to determine eligibility for these exemptions
Next steps
If passed, Bill 83, the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Amendment Act will come into effect upon proclamation. A regulatory framework would be targeted for spring 2022.
View this page for the full announcement.