The OFVGA believes there are significant opportunities for harmonizing waste programs across Ontario, between provinces and with trading partners. "Potentially the biggest opportunity is for the province to support municipalities that do not have the infrastructure, volume or market for recycling product to find ways to ensure waste from those regions are diverted or recovered in some way. This could be supported by deterring the use of costly and difficult to process composite packaging material, and to harmonize and expand the list of materials accepted for recycle programs to include additional plastics, films and styrofoams", they write in their comment on the Reducing Litter and Waste in the Communities Discussion Paper.
"The OFVGA recommends alternative policy approaches for capturing the cost of waste produced, beyond the concept of waste producers paying the full cost, be investigated. For example, the Environmental Handling Fee that has been charged on electronics sold in Ontario would be one mechanism worth exploring. A point of sale fee would encourage consumers to look for reduced or more environmentally friendly packaging, which would encourage producers to innovate with the goal of waste reduction. This approach would ensure that all products, including imports, are treated equally."