AWNA met with AB Environment on recycling

Public consultations start next month on a province-wide recycling program, known as EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility).  Municipal groups such as the AUMA and RMA and the Recycling Council of Alberta have succeeded in getting this on the provincial agenda.

AWNA’s Government Affairs committee goal is to get an exemption for the newspaper industry if such a program gets off the ground here.  Newspapers have been successful in getting exemptions from such programs in European countries and in Australia, but EPR programs currently operating in other Canadian provinces do include newspapers.  Newspapers pay a fee in some cases, or provide ‘in kind’ advertising in other programs.

We get a sense that the Alberta Government would like to avoid regulating newspapers in this province, but it would be helpful for our cause if we were able to show some leadership in local newspaper recycling efforts. 

If there is paper recycling of any sort that is going on within your community, we’d like to hear about it.  Please send me an email (Dennis@awna.com) if you’re able to help us out on this.