Information about Recycling

The questions people have

Recycling is a very broad concept but the general meaning is understood by everyone. Questions submitted to the Recycling in Canada web site concern all material groups, address all stages of recycling (from collection to the final end-user) and cover all geographical regions within Canada (and often other countries as well).

Most of the information that people seek is posted somewhere on the Internet. A web search on "recycling" will lead to an overwhelming list of potential data sources; hence the need to narrow your search by employing specific terms or phrases when you use a search engine.

To help Canadians explore the world of recycling, we have created a Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ section, which is based on actual queries received at the Recycling in Canada web site over the last five years. The questions and answers are grouped as follows: business development, promotion and public education, materials, and general research.

Getting the scrap metal out of the waste stream

Of additional interest to us is what we refer to as "municipal scrap metal recycling". In fact, municipalities play a very important role in recycling right across Canada. In most case, they are responsible for providing recycling (and waste management) services for residents. Any recycling question of a local nature should always be directed towards your municipality since residential recycling programs are typically designed, implemented and maintained by them.

While scrap metal is a relatively small component of the municipal "waste" stream, it is estimated that Canadians discard between 116 000 and 232 000 tonnes of the material every year. Many municipalities target scrap metal for recovery because of its high value. With the help of the Association of Municipal Recycling Coordinators (AMRC) in Ontario, we assembled all sorts of information regarding scrap metal including basic definitions, greenhouse gas emission implications, best practices and case studies.

Northern scrap metal challenges

Efforts to recover scrap metal in the Canadian north are hampered by the remoteness of these materials that have accumulated over many years and in some case many decades. The Enhanced Recycling program began working with northern Manitoba and Nunavut in 2004 and this work continued in 2006 with the other western and northern provinces and territories. Some of the lessons learned from these efforts were assembled by the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council and uploaded to the Recycling in Canada web site.

Regulations that may impact recycling Recycling facilities must be operated in accordance with existing regulations and laws. Similarly, the trade in scrap metal must conform to national and international rules and agreements. Some of the issues covered in this section include the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and hazardous recyclable materials (i.e. the Basel Convention), related Canada-U.S.A agreements, Federal legislation (e.g. the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, etc.) as well as Provincial and Territorial legislation.