Information about Recycling

General Information

Recycling is a broad concept. Recycling questions submitted to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) concern all types of materials, all the subsectors of recycling and all the geographical regions of Canada.

Most answers are available on the Web; however a Boolean search of "recycling" yields hundreds of millions of potential data sources.

The recycling questions and answers listed on NRCan’s Contact Us page are based on actual queries received over the last five years. Simply select the Recycling category and choose between the following subcategories: Business Development, General research & questions, Products and materials, and Promotion and public education.

Additional information is available on these pages:

Municipal Scrap Metal Recycling

In most cases, municipalities are responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining recycling services for residents. Recycling questions of a local nature should be directed to the appropriate municipality.

While scrap metal is a relatively small component of the municipal waste stream, Canadians discard an estimated 116 000 to 232 000 tonnes of it every year. Municipalities target scrap metal for recovery because of its high value. With the help of the Ontario Municipal Waste Association, the Mineral and Metals Sector of NRCan assembled the following information regarding scrap metal recycling at the municipal level.

Scrap Metal in Northern Communities

Scrap metal is accumulating in northern communities. Efforts to recover scrap metal in the Canadian North are hampered by the remoteness of these communities. As part of the Enhanced Recycling program, stakeholders began working with northern Manitoba and Nunavut in 2004 and the other western and northern provinces and territories in 2006. Some of the lessons learned from these efforts were assembled by the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council and are outlined here.

Canadian Acts, Regulations and Guidelines on Recycling

Recycling facilities must be operated in accordance with existing acts, regulations and guidelines. Similarly, Canadian trade in recyclable metal scrap must conform to national and international rules and agreements. These pages contain information on the movement of hazardous wastes and recyclable materials, and on relevant Canada-US agreements and federal, provincial and territorial legislation (e.g., the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act).