Did you know there’s a hidden fee in that box of macaroni and cheese you bought and you are not getting the benefits that go with it?
The Town of Oxford listened to a presentation by Cumberland Joint Services Municipal Authority’s general manager Stephen Rayworth during its June 18 regular council meeting on how solid waste authorities across the province will be seeking support to capture their share of the Printed Paper Recycling [PPR] model currently being used by five provinces in the country and are reaping the rewards.
Adding a user fee into the cost of printed paper materials, major producers and franchises are responsible for contributing to the cost of recycling materials.
Right now Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia are the only provinces utilizing PPR, which means citizens in the remaining provinces are paying PPR fees to no reward.
“Because there is 80 per cent of the population under the program and because PPR targets the big guys like the Walmarts and Pepsi, Tim Hortons, McDonalds, and they use a national pricing structure, we are already paying,” Rayworth said. “As Nova Scotia consumers, we are already paying into this program and reaping none of the benefit.”
Adopting the PPR model could mean easing the burden on municipalities and constituents by harnessing the funds users are already paying towards recycling costs. In 2016 PPR fees collected amounted to $367 million towards recycling.
There are a number of exemptions from the PPR program including small business with revenues under $2 million, business contributing less than one tonne of PPR product to residents annually, and single storefront businesses in the province.
Introducing the model into Nova Scotia could take up to five years, but for the individual consumer already paying PPR fees in the province it may be comforting to know those fees are quite small.
“Generally speaking, the fees on a product are less than one-cent… the fee on a Kraft Dinner box was 1/1,000 of a cent,” Rayworth said.
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