EMILY MCGILL, WHOLEWORLD CONSULTING COMPOSTABLE PLASTICS: FACTS, MYTHS & UNKNOWNS WITH THE RECYCLING COUNCIL OF BC NOVEMBER 21, 2019 Food
Waste/ Resource Tech Recovery
Energy Shelter Food
Waste/ Resource Tech Recovery
Energy Shelter • Municipal Organics in Canada
Topics • Regulatory Environment
• BC’s OMRR Spotlight Municipal Organics Recycling in Canada
• Organics landfilled well into the 1900s (through to today) • 1970s+ Centralized urban and semi-urban composting growing • 1990s+ Entering legislation • First ban on organics to landfill in Nova Scotia • 1999 Canadian Environmental Protection Act • 1994 to 2011 household composting increased by 265% across Canada (from 23% to 61% of households) • 2012 CCME published Canada-wide approach guidance Canadian Law
Acts or Statutes are our foundational legislation
which inform
Present Day Regulations that define application and enforcement
both interpreted and explained by
Guidelines that have no force of law but do help us to understand it Regulatory Environment Today
Processing and Use of Compost Compostable Products
• Extensive • Limited • All levels of government • Entering all levels of government Regulation on Compost in Canada First Nations Regional / Federal and Métis Provincial Municipal • Give provinces authority • Waste management • Give regions authority • Provide guidelines • Waste management on on First Nations’ lands • Set acts and guidelines • Facility licensing federal lands for facilities, use of • Establish collection Key • Inter-provincial and compost and processing Domain / international transport programs Precedent • Material disposal bans
- Canadian Environmental - Environmental - Environmental - Solid Waste and Protection Act (CEPA) Management Plans Management Act (BC) Recyclable Material - Fertilizers Act & Regs Regulatory Bylaw 181 Case in - Transport of Hazardous (Metro Vancouver) Point Material Regulations - First Nations Land Management Act Regulation on Compost in BC
• Environmental Management Act (EMA) & Public Health Act (PHA)
• Organic Matter Recycling Regulation (OMRR) • Code of Practice for Agricultural Environmental Management (new in 2019) • Mushroom Production Facilities Regulation (MPFR) • (Under ALC Act) Agricultural Land Reserve Use, Subdivision and Procedure Regulation
• Municipal licensing bylaws OMRR Review Spotlight
OMRR governs (1) construction and operation of compost facilities (2) production, distribution, sale, storage, use, application for biosolids and compost.
• 2002 Enacted • 2006, 2011 Intentions papers 1 & 2 with consultation and summary • 2016 Comprehensive review plans announced, intentions paper 3 released • 2017 Summary and Policy Update published • 2018 Intentions paper 4 released, consultation complete, summary published • Present Amendments under development OMRR and Compostable Plastics
• Proposed Addition of compostable plastics to accepted feedstocks
• Feedback Plentiful. OMRR and Compostable Plastics
• Proposed Addition of compostable plastics to accepted feedstocks
• Feedback Plentiful. Highlights include: • How ‘compostable’ is determined / certified + the standards used for testing • Mismatch between lab-based certification and real-world disintegration • How facilities demonstrate they meet the time & temp required to accept these • Would facilities need to amend their operating permits to accept c.p. Let’s Connect
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