Toronto

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is proposing to weaken an impending slate of new recycling rules because producers of the materials said the system is getting too expensive.

The province began transitioning in 2023 toward making producers pay for the recycling of their packaging, paper and single-use items. The companies’ obligations were set to increase next year, but the government is now looking to delay some measures and outright cancel others, such as requirements to extend collection beyond the residential system.

Starting next year, producers are also supposed to be responsible for collecting material from more multi-residential buildings, and certain long-term care homes, retirement homes and schools. The government is now proposing to remove that requirement entirely.

The same goes for a rule that would have made beverage producers responsible for containers not just dropped in a residential blue box but also those used outside the home, and a provision for producers to expand collection in public spaces.

The intent behind the initial regulations was to incentivize producers to use less packaging and to use materials that can more easily be recycled, said Karen Wirsig, senior program manager for plastics with Environmental Defence.

These changes would halt any progress on that score, she said.

“Municipalities have been saying for years, ‘Our blue box is getting more and more filled with packaging types we can’t even identify let alone properly sort ... because often they’re made with mixed materials that are not easily recycled,’” Wirsig said.