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P.E.I. launches program to collect and recycle agricultural plastics

Charlottetown – A change to regulations under Prince Edward Island’s Environmental Protection Act means a new program will be in place in the province to collect and recycle agricultural plastics.

P.E.I. will be the first province in the Atlantic region with a regulated extended producer-responsibility program (EPR) for agricultural plastics. This change ensures that more agricultural waste materials that often go to landfills in the region, or get disposed of on-farm, will be properly handled to further protect the environment.

“We have ambitious climate targets and we are taking action on the pathway to net zero,” said Environment, Energy and Climate Action Minister Steven Myers. “P.E.I. is a national leader in programs for recycling and the diversion of waste from landfills. A key part in protecting the environment and creating a sustainable future for our Island and our region is proper stewardship of waste and materials across all industries.”

Prince Edward Island has implemented other successful EPR programs for electronics, paint and lamp products. This new program will work in a similar way and shift the responsibility of end-of-life management of waste plastic products used in the agricultural industry onto brand owners, importers and manufacturers.

The department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action is working together with the department of Agriculture and Land, industry partners and other stakeholders to develop the program, which is expected to begin in the winter of 2022.