Recycled Plastic Benches Part of Canada Winter Games Sustainability Legacy
The Gary W. Harris Celebration Plaza in downtown Red Deer will feature benches made by Alberta-based Full Circle Plastics with funding from the Alberta Plastics Recycling Association (APRA) and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA). The company uses 100% post-consumer plastic that has been collected from communities across Alberta to make plastic lumber.  This lumber was then used to fulfill a unique design and seating for the Plaza that will serve Red Deer citizens for many years to come. Read more…

APRA Member is keeping plastic car bumpers out of the landfill
A local Calgary business and member of the Alberta Plastics Recycling Association (APRA) has been offering plastics recycling to customers across the City for decades. Now, Friendly Earth Environmental is working with autobody shops across the province to recycle plastic car bumpers.
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China’s announcement on recovered plastics and paper
An announcement was made recently by the Government of China that it intends to block some grades of recovered paper and plastic materials as scrap resources by the end of 2017. This ban stems from China’s previous policies, the Green Fence of 2013 and the National Sword of 2016, aimed to reduce the amount of contaminated plastics and other “waste” materials including paper and scrap metal entering the country.
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APRA Among the 2016 Plastics Industry Leadership Award Winners
On September 14, 2016, APRA’s partner and close ally in plastics recycling, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) announced the winners of the 2016 Plastics Industry Leadership Awards at its annual Plastics Industry Leadership Awards Dinner. CPIA awards recognize outstanding individuals and businesses for their commitment and dedication to the growth and sustainability of the Canadian plastics industry.
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APRA Announces Successful AGM and Incoming Executive Director
The Alberta Plastics Recycling Association celebrated its 25^th Anniversary at its annual Golf Tournament and General Meeting on June 15 in Carstairs, AB. Special guests included representatives from Alberta’s DAOs, membership, board of directors and former staff.
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APRA Presents with EPS Recycling Leaders from Across Alberta
On February 23, the Alberta Plastics Recycling Association presented at a Recycling Council of Alberta workshop on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) recycling in Cochrane. The session included other presenters with first hand experience in EPS recycling including two of the three cities in Alberta who have established EPS recycling programs, Cochrane and Aquatera in Grande Prairie.
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The Future of Plastics to Oil
A group of about 50 keen observers gathered around the pyrolysis demonstration that took place at the Alberta Care conference in Whitecourt, September 9-11, 2015. Jason Tanne, the founding partner of Resynergi was demonstrating the machine’s conversion of plastics to oil.
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Polystyrene Recycling is Expanding!
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) recycling is expanding throughout the province. A number of companies as well as cities around the province have made an effort to reduce the amount of EPS bound for the landfill by purchasing an EPS densifier that enables recycling. EPS is typically 2% polystyrene and 98% gas which makes it problematic to landfill because it’s bulky, very light and when fractured, can be a source of wind-driven litter. Different densifiers work in different ways, though the primary method is to heat and/or pressurize the EPS to reduce the amount of air, and thus the amount of space it takes up. This turns the modified EPS into an ingot, a melted form that becomes smaller and easier to store and transport for recycling. Most groups ship the EPS ingots overseas to China where they are turned into consumer items such as coat hangers, picture frames and cases for computers and appliances.
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APRA and CPIA Tour of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre
On September 29th, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, City of Edmonton and Alberta Plastics Recycling Association hosted a tour of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre for industry and government guests. Read more…

The grass is green on both sides of the plastic fence posts
APRA member Grant Harrington is actively involved in the plastics  business. His latest venture is working with a company called Outlook Plastic out of Nobleford, AB. The production method, called Flow Molding, extrudes melted co-mingled plastic and molds it into decking, insert beams, fence posts, parking curbs and barrier posts. They receive the plastic to be recycled from Camrose, Medicine Hat, and Cochrane, among others and transform plastic paint pails and any broken trays. The products are 100% post-consumer and post-industrial high density polyethylene (HDPE).
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Van Houtte Coffee- Styrofoam Recycling Success
Most of us don’t stop to consider the amount of waste, plastic, expanded polystyrene (EPS), organics and other materials that it takes to produce, package and transport our daily cup of coffee from the tropics to our mugs. As a leading Canadian coffee producer, Van Houtte has considered all the bi-products and decided to do something to reduce its footprint. The company’s mandate is for zero waste to landfill and they’ve been taking steps to discover what materials currently end up at the dump can be recycled.
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McArthur Making a Difference
McArthur Fine Furniture & Interior Design is a three-generation-run family business in Airdrie, AB. General Manager Darin Pound and his brother have been growing the business since 2009 and in December 2013 took a step to improve the business further and reduce waste by purchasing an expanded polystyrene (EPS) densifier.
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NOVA Recycling Update
APRA member, NOVA Chemicals provided an update on its plastic recycling efforts in May of this year. Last winter, a hoarding tent was put into place to allow the Polyethylene 1 (PE1) Expansion Project to pour a concrete foundation over the cold winter months at the Joffre Site. When the tent was taken down this spring another of APRA’s long-time members, Merlin Plastics, picked up three tonnes of poly wrap, which was used for the tent’s walls and rooftop structure, for recycling. The material can be recycled into other usable products such as garbage can liners, plastic lumber, trash cans, plastic furniture and films.
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Building a Future for Energy Recovery
The waste management industry is abuzz with discussions on what is known as the waste-to-energy (WTE) approach or energy from waste (EFW). Proponents list WTE successes in managing waste and generating energy as part of an integrated waste management plan.
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Plastics to Diesel Conversion Plant Comes to Alberta
APRA welcomes new member Durham Energy Recovery Inc.
The Alberta Plastics Recycling Association (APRA) would like to welcome its newest member, Durham Energy Recovery Inc. (Durham) based in Airdrie, Alberta. The company is providing a unique solution to managing plastics waste, specializing in the energy recovery process by converting plastics into diesel fuel.
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Operation Green Fence
For some years China has imposed restrictions on the import of solid waste. Importers accepted materials they believed were recyclable. Materials were sorted, with the recyclables separated from the waste for recycling and profit. In this process, China found there was a significant amount of waste left over. At the beginning of 2013 they started to enforce the regulations in place previously to reduce the amount of non-recyclable waste entering the country. This enforcement has been nicknamed Operation Green Fence by market participants.
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Plastics Recycling Update
The Annual Recycling Council of Alberta Conference was held October 2-4  in Calgary as a gathering point for waste management and recycling industry experts to discuss and share ideas on recycling in the province of Alberta. Grant Cameron is the Alberta Plastic Recycling Association’s (APRA) Executive Director. Grant presented at the conference on the current state of plastics recycling in the province and shared recommendations for future developments in the industry.
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Provincial Packaging Regulations – passing the responsibility to the producer
There are now many effective programs nationally and provincially, but they do not and can not cover all of the remaining “homeless” packaging. More action is required.

Recycling proponents and farmers demand a much needed agricultural plastics stewardship program
The agricultural industry has increased its use of plastics and with that the need for post-use collection and treatment has continued to grow. Yet there is still no formal program in place to recycle or treat the used plastic anywhere in Canada.

All Bottle Recycling

Recycled Plastic Audit 2005

Best Practices Guide for the Collection and Handling of Polyethylene Plastic Bags and Film in Municipal Curbside Recycling Programs

Integrated Waste Management Model

 APRA Newsletter Spring 2009

APRA News Winter 2006