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The oil boom in Western Canada is having a little publicised effect on the natural environment: deforestation. As we pointed out in a blog[1] back in August last year, the extraction of oil and gas (the raw materials from which plastics are derived) is responsible for more than double the deforestation in Canada than the forest […]

Here’s our shot at trying to clarify some of the evident confusion about recyclability. Technically Recyclable: The great majority of printed paper and packaging ending up in Canadian homes is perfectly recyclable.  A small minority of materials do cause some technical and cost problems at the processing stage, however. Sometimes this is because of ignorance

Waste management policy is a hot topic at the moment as various provinces grapple with introducing or modifying what they are calling “Extended Producer Responsibility” or EPR programs on residential printed paper and packaging. The real elephant in the room, however, is the future role of municipalities in Blue Box waste management. In our view,

The University of Guelph study we highlighted in an earlier blog (Loblaw and IFCO need to clean up their act) is causing quite a few ripples in food safety, industry, and government circles throughout North America and Europe. Dr. Keith Warriner’s study claimed that using reusable plastic crates to ship food in Canada was a

A just-released University of Guelph study has raised serious health concerns about reusable plastic containers (RPCs) being used to ship fresh fruit and vegetables in Canada. Crates pose significant risks of microbiological contamination, claims the author, Director of Food Safety and Quality, Dr. Keith Warriner. Human pathogens such as salmonella, norovirus and cyclospora could be

To most of us, “cardboard” generally means a brown box that’s used to deliver stuff to our homes or workplaces. This word image is reinforced by recycling bins parked at strip malls with the word “cardboard” painted in big letters on the side, and by municipalities reminding their residents not to forget to put their

During the recent plastic bag debate in Toronto, one individual stood up and said all you need to know about the alternative (paper bags) was deforestation. The word conjures up images of wanton and needless destruction. And if you happen to be selling or defending plastic bags, it’s a potent barb to throw at your

Comparative life cycle analyses (LCAs) are generally used for one purpose: to demonstrate a preferred option, if possible, from an environmental point of view. They do not consider the other “legs” of the sustainability stool (social desirability and economic viability) so are limited in that sense. And because they are comparative, and have potential commercial

We speak only for paper-based packaging (not other materials) and of the particular situation we find ourselves in Canada. But to us, pushing for minimum recycled content levels doesn\’t make sense. Why? They run counter to the life cycle of paper itself. Paper fibres can be recycled as many as nine times before they become

John Mullinder, Executive Director (Regular posts on environmental and sustainability issues impacting the Canadian paper packaging industry). How often have you seen this graphic commonly used to signify Ontario’s Blue Box System?  You’d be forgiven for thinking that bottles and cans are the only materials being recovered. Wrong. Big Time. In fact, plastic, glass and