Sustainability and recycling consultancy Resource Recycling Systems, Inc. (RRS) has been awarded the Material Cost Differentiation (MCD) contract with the Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance (CSSA) to redefine the methodology used in Canadian packaging and printed paper (PPP) recycling programs to determine the relative impacts of material characteristics on the cost of the recycling system activities.

CSSA is a national nonprofit organization that represents the interests of Canadian businesses and provides support services to four PPP stewardship programs across Canada. Through these stewardship programs, producers of PPP are responsible for financing either some or all of the costs to recycle their materials at the end of their useful life. Stewardship organizations receive fees from businesses across Canada to meet their obligations under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) provincial regulations.

“Material characteristics—for example flexibility, size, bulkiness and abrasiveness—can have significant impact on costs in the recycling system,” said Michael Timpane, vice president of process optimization and material recovery at RRS, in a statement. “This study will assist in redefining the calculation of a critical input to stewardship fees based on the impact that various material characteristics, and changing material mixes, cause in the recycling system.”

During this multi-phased project, RRS will work closely with CSSA and engage with PPP program operators, supply chain partners and equipment manufacturers to develop a methodology for identifying recycling system cost impacts of PPP based on material characteristics and material mixes through research, field testing and cost modeling.

The MCD project, which launched in October of 2016, is guided by eight principles established by a working group with representatives from the following PPP stewardship organizations: Recycle BC, Multi-Material Stewardship Western, Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba and Stewardship Ontario.