The Connections Blog is no longer being maintained as CIF moves into its final year of operation. In its place, CIF launched a Transition Portal with resources, information, and tools to support communities in the transition of Ontario’s blue box program to a producer responsibility framework. Access to the portal is limited to municipalities, service boards, and First Nations staff.
Over the years, CIF has funded numerous projects and studies that included analysis of data on waste. Data has been generated from a variety of sources and operational activities, primarily the CIF/SO Terms of Reference (TOR) standardized waste composition studies. In 2020, the County of Peterborough, Township of Drummond/North...
As announced Thursday June 3, Ontario's new blue box regulation (O. Reg. 391/21) under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 has been finalized and is now published on e-Laws at: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r21391 The regulation, which will transition Ontario's blue box program to an Individual Producer Responsibility framework, brings into focus the...
The City of Guelph expects the high-density, multi-residential (MR) sector to grow to over 30% of its total housing stock by 2031, up from 11% in 2011. In an attempt to improve and expand collection services to MR buildings the City added front-end service in 2018. This involved purchase...
Last December (2020), Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA) broke new ground in Ontario residential recycling processing by installing six new Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)-enabled robotic arms in their Material Recovery Facility (MRF). The investment was driven by the need to reduce reliance on hard-to-retain manual sorters and deal with a material mix...
This week's blog post was originally published March 30, 2021 by Resource Recycling. Education campaigns may improve curbside recycling practices for residents who produce average or low amounts of contamination, but they may not impact the worst offenders, according to new research. The Solid Waste Association of North America...
Appropriate engagement opportunities allow municipalities to make better decisions on projects or plans. Public input can maximize the benefits of a project, minimize any negative impacts, and provide new ideas or initiatives for communities. Since successful waste management systems rely on those that participate, getting public engagement in waste management...
Contamination levels in the blue box program have been top of mind for many municipalities. The issue has led to a variety of contract management challenges, requiring, in some cases, that contracts be renegotiated. Contamination has also been a topic of concern in the development of the impending regulation. Interestingly,...
Municipal recycling costs have continued to increase annually, due to the increasing complexity and light-weighting of the packaging supplied into the market. Sorting challenges and confusion amongst residents is growing as packaging becomes more complex and multi-layered. In turn, this contributes to higher contamination rates and higher net system costs. The CIF,...
In this final installment of the "Put a lid on it" mini-series, we continue to share the initial learnings from a litter, moisture and time-and-motion audit conducted in Durham Region in the fall of 2020. Part I focused on litter, including the causes, composition, and lids as a potential...
In this second installment of the "Put a lid on it" mini-series, we continue to explore the initial findings of a litter, moisture and time-and-motion audit conducted in Durham Region in the fall of 2020. Part I focussed on litter, including the causes, composition and lids as a potential...
Open top blue boxes at the curb can contribute to litter on the streets and moisture levels that can impact the marketability of the materials. The CIF has been working with Durham Region to develop a methodology to assess litter and moisture related to open blue boxes, and furthermore, to measure...
On Wednesday December 16, 2020 the CIF Windup Plan was approved by the Resource Productivity & Recovery Authority (RPRA). The plan includes important details about the windup and operation of the CIF in coming years. The CIF Windup Plan lays...
As previously announced, Mike Birett, CIF’s current Managing Director, will be leaving his post at the end of 2020. Mike has been with the CIF since its very beginning in 2008 and has been serving as Managing Director since 2011. During his time at CIF, Mike has been an invaluable...
At its last meeting, CIF Committee approved the CIF 2021 Interim Operation Plan, which balances directives from the Ministry with the priorities established by CIF stakeholders to focus on efforts that support collective benefits and that emphasize the current mandate as found in the BBPP. As...
Transition to an Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) framework, China Sword policies, and COVID-19 are all contributing to a challenging and uncertain environment for Ontario municipalities operating blue box programs. Despite this, municipalities continue to deliver services and maintain program performance. To help ensure continued efficiency and effectiveness of recycling systems...
