S P R I N G I S S U E
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F R O M T H E C E O
Recycling is at a crossroads and change is imperative
The news has been full of stories about recycling lately. You've probably seen some of them. Maybe you’ve wondered if what they are saying is true.
Most of the news stories have focused on the recycling industry’s crises and suggest that recycling overall isn’t working. They point to the fact that China and other overseas markets have closed their doors to North American and European recycled commodities because of poor quality. With no overseas markets for low-quality recyclables and only a few, over saturated markets in North America, India and Southeast Asia, recycling in Canada and the US has hit the wall. Recyclables in many places are being stockpiled and vast amounts are ending up in landfill or energy recovery.
The truth is, the recycling of post-consumer packaging and paper is at a crossroads. We can’t keep going the way we are. We cannot expect China or other markets to take bales of low-grade materials made unusable because they are full of items that don’t belong – nor should they.
The days of letting consumers “wish-recycle” or toss anything they like into recycling bins just to get rid of it are over.
To make a circular economy viable, manufacturers and brand owners have to design for recyclability, develop products and packaging that can be managed through existing collection and processing systems, spur technological innovation for end of life management of these materials, and then use these materials for the manufacturing of new products and packaging. We all mostly agree to the principles of the circular economy – now let’s walk-the-talk.
Recycling was, is, and always will be our main line of business We’re good at it. We work hard to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible so more products and packaging are recovered at the highest quality possible. We’ve also worked hard to establish and maintain markets for our materials in North America. That not only cuts down on the amount of material we ship overseas, it cuts down on the environmental impact of shipping. We are a company committed to operating in a way that limits our carbon footprint. That’s one of the reasons Emterra Group has just been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers, again for the fourth consecutive year. You can read more about that achievement in the stories below and on our newly relaunched website, which is also highlight in this issue of ‘Terra Notes.
We applaud our national media for profiling our industry and our collective business of recycling. This issue had to ‘go public’ because only by admitting we need to change can we bring about that change faster and with more investment and resources from across the value chain. At Emterra, we are committed to being a leader to drive the transformation this industry needs. We hope you’ll join us and step forward as a leader, too.
On behalf of Paulina, Vivian and our entire Emterra family, we hope you enjoy this issue of ‘TerraNotes.
Best wishes,
Our sustainability first approach
is equivalent to removing
94,535 cars
from the road annually.
For the fourth consecutive year, Emterra Group named one of Canada's Greenest Employers
For the fourth consecutive year, Emterra Group has been named as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers. The annual competition is part of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project. The selection committee chose Emterra because of our progressive approach towards building community partnerships, our new lines of business and green products and our capital investments to support green initiatives.
Grand Blanc Township receives ‘Going Green’ Award
When communities recycle, everyone wins. Grand Blanc Township in Michigan State is reaping the rewards and being recognized for being a local leader in recycling.
Creating sustainable, inclusive and accessible playgrounds featuring recycled crumb rubber and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
All kids deserve a chance to play. Emterra Tire Recycling is proud to partner with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities by supplying recycled crumb rubber to be used in Jumpstart Playgrounds in Canadian communities.
City of Chilliwack adds glass to curbside collection program
The City of Chilliwack, BC is the latest Canadian municipality to accept glass in their curbside recycling program. The City rolled out a new glass collection program, which is accepting clear and coloured glass bottles and jars as part of the Recycle BC program, and completed their first collection on April 2. In a letter to residents, the City said that glass was being implemented in response to requests for the service and to maximize the amount of glass being recycled.
Along with operating a local Material Recovery Facility, Emterra Environmental also collects waste, food and yard organics and recyclables for the City. In 2017, green carts for organics collection were added to this program and now glass in 2019. According to the City, the curbside program collects from 21, 900 homes and has benefited from a 47 per cent decrease in curbside waste since 2016. Residents are also extremely active online, with 9,900 residents receiving their collection calendars and reminders online - eliminating the need to print hard copies of curbside collection guides.
Filling the bellies of Halton Region with fresh, local produce and saving $5M in food waste!
In an opportunity to volunteer with Food for Life, a local food recovery program, staff from Emterra and BurlingtonGreen sorted potatoes, separating the good from the bad. In total about 400 pounds of potatoes were sorted, the equivalent of about 400 meals and an annual savings of $5M in food waste!
Emterra Group launches new website
We are happy to share that we have launched a new website for Emterra Group: www.emterra.ca. Sporting many new elements and features, visitors will find the website brighter and easier to navigate and to find information. We invite you to take a look!
Emterra Group opens up its corporate head office and Burlington material recovery facility to business owners and residents for a tour
Members of the Burlington, Ontario community participated in an opportunity a bit foreign to most – they toured our material recovery facility. With a goal to educate participants on what it actually takes to sort and process your recyclables and the importance of recycling right, it was an eye opening experience that generated a lot of questions.
Welcome to the Emterra family!
We are happy to announce the extension of an existing partnership and the addition of a new municipality within the Emterra Group family!
We have extended our partnership with the RM of Macdonald in Manitoba and will continue to provide recyclables collection, processing and marketing services in this community.
We will begin a new recyclables collection, processing, and marketing contract with the City of Peterborough and the County of Peterborough, Ontario. The material recovery will take place in the City’s facility and Emterra will install a new, automated recyclables recovery system. The contract is set to
being in November, 2019.
– F I N D & F O L L O W –
E M T E R R A O N L I N E
