Nicholas L. M. Allen
Mar 19, 2025
Province shifts recycling costs to producers, aims to boost circular economy
Alberta is preparing to launch its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system in April 2025, a regulatory framework that shifts the responsibility for waste collection, sorting, and recycling away from municipalities and taxpayers and onto producers. The initiative is designed to encourage businesses to reduce waste and develop local recycling markets, supporting Alberta’s polluter-pay principle and circular economy strategy.
The Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) has been designated to oversee the EPR system, which applies to two waste categories: Single-use products, packaging, and printed paper (PPP) and hazardous and special products (HSP)
The framework aligns Alberta with similar producer-led recycling programs in other provinces, reducing inefficiencies and allowing for a more consistent recycling experience across communities.
Municipalities in Alberta currently handle nearly 200,000 tonnes of recyclable packaging and paper waste annually, at an estimated cost of $107 million. Under the new system, producers will be required to take over these collection and processing costs.
PPP includes:
• Paper products (newspapers, magazines, printed materials, cardboard, and packaging)
• Plastics (both rigid and flexible)
• Metal and glass containers
Industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) packaging materials are not included in the EPR system at this time, nor are materials already covered under Alberta’s existing regulated stewardship programs (beverage containers, tires, paint, electronics, and used oil).
Alberta’s existing household hazardous waste program—previously funded jointly by the provincial and municipal governments—will be replaced by an EPR-managed HSP system that expands the range of accepted materials.
HSP includes:
• Flammable, corrosive, and toxic consumer products
• Household batteries
• Consumer-sized pesticides
Industrial-sized hazardous materials are not included in the EPR program.
Alberta’s EPR Regulation came into effect on November 30, 2022, with a phased approach leading up to full implementation in April 2025:
• April 1, 2024 – Producers must submit verification of their collection and management plans to ARMA.
• April 1, 2025 – EPR systems for PPP and HSP become fully operational in registered communities that already had recycling services as of November 30, 2022.
• October 1, 2026 – EPR systems expand to registered communities that did not have prior recycling services.
The Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA), which has managed recycling programs for used oil, paint, tires, and electronics for over 30 years, will oversee the new EPR system. ARMA has the authority to:
• Develop bylaws related to registration, reporting, and compliance
• Establish audit requirements and enforcement measures
• Manage dispute resolution between producers and municipalities
ARMA remains accountable to the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, providing annual business plans, financial reports, and regulatory updates.
A key goal of Alberta’s EPR framework is to promote a circular economy for plastics, ensuring that materials are reused, recycled, and repurposed rather than sent to landfills.
By creating economies of scale and increasing the availability of recycled materials, the province said the system is expected to drive investment in Alberta’s plastics recycling industry, supporting the province’s Natural Gas Vision and Strategy.
With the 2025 launch approaching, Alberta aims to establish a more efficient and sustainable recycling system, reducing waste while shifting financial responsibility away from municipalities and onto the companies that produce packaging and single-use products.
