What to know for recycling different materials in Canada
- Identify the 7 different classifications of plastics before you proceed to recycle them
- Electronics and cell battery recycling need extra attention and care due to their hazardous materials like lead & mercury
- Tires and wood can be reused and repurposed many times due to an ongoing supply in our everyday lives
- Aluminium and steel are the most popular recycled metals in Canada
In this article, we will look at how recycling works for different materials and explore the significance of recycling these materials, the roles of different organizations and stakeholders to make them effective and sustainable in the long run in Canada.
🧴 Recycling Plastic Bottles - How Does it Work?
The Canadian government has been committed to addressing plastic waste and pollution through recycling initiatives at the federal, provincial, and territorial levels. One example is the Canada-wide Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste, which directs the recycling of plastics through the principles of the circular economy for the purpose of repurposing and refurnishing.
🥤 Types of Plastics Used in Bottles
Now, let's look at how different plastic materials are categorised and where they are typically found. Plastics are classified according to the Resin Identification Code (RIC) system. Developed in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry, the system classifies plastics into 7 types for better sorting management as follows:
Commonly found in water bottles and food containers
Commonly found in shampoo bottles, opaque buckets and containers
Commonly found in pipes, siding, even credit cards
Commonly found in plastic shopping bags
Commonly found in caps and straws
Commonly found in single-use plastics for takeaways, utensils and Styrofoam
Commonly found in electronic casings and other electronic components
♻️ The Traditional Recycling Process
Now, let's look at the overview of the traditional recycling process for plastic bottles, as an example, through the following steps.
- Collection where plastic bottles are gathered from various sources, whether it's from residential households, businesses or recycling bins.
- Sorting begins when the bottles reach a recycling facility of recycling depot, they are then separated by plastic types (like Type 1 or Type 3) and colors.
- Cleaning and rinsing are important to ensure the labels, caps and residues are removed from the bottles to prevent contamination.
- Shredding is necessary to maximize efficiency, where the plastic bottles are then cut into small flakes or chips.
- Melting and Reforming take place when the processed flakes are melted and reformed into plastic pellets for manufacturing new products.
More than 8 million tons of plastic enter our oceans every year — recycling is one step to stop it.
Ocean Conservancy
⚙️ Technological Innovations in Plastic Bottle Recycling
Let's explore the significance of technological innovations in making plastic bottle recycling more efficient and sustainable.
🧪 Chemical Recycling Methods
Scientists are constantly coming out with new solutions to break down plastics in a biodegradable manner. The main goal is to ensure that the waste plastics are converted into a form that the recycling technology is able to use.
Here are two recent examples of chemical recycling methods that is set to transform the plastic recycling landscape:
Enzymatic Breakdown
- Utilizing enzymes to assist in the decomposition of PET plastics (takes only a few hours)
- Discovery of a mutant bacterial enzyme found in the compost of leaves
- The first license of the commercial recycling plant is expected to launch in 2025
- Key company: Carbios
Hydrothermal Processing
- Water is heated to a supercritical condition (high temperature and pressure)
- The water will break down the mixed plastic waste into reusable hydrocarbons
- The first commercial plant at Wilton on Teesside opened in late 2023, recycling an initial 20,000 tonnes per year of plastic waste
- Key company: Mura Technology
💰 Corporate Initiatives and Investments
Now, let's shift our attention to the financial and social aspects of making plastic recycling feasible and sustainable in the long run.
Major Corporations' Role
- Significant investment of companies like Exxon Mobil, over US$200 million
- Expansion of recycling capabilities and technologies in North America
- Aimed to process a substantial amount of plastic waste annually
Collaborative Efforts
- Joint ventures between corporations and recycling firms
- Project examples include the building of Circulatory Centers to ensure consistency in infrastructure and feedstock preparation
- Aimed to increase advanced recycling capacity
📱 Electronic Waste Recycling
Moving on, let's look at how electronic waste (e-waste) recycling works. In Canada, e-waste recycling is regulated under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) at the provincial level. This shifts the responsibility of fund collection and recycling systems to the electronic producers instead of the consumers.
Let's look at the general recycling process of electronic waste.
- Step 1: Collection (Drop-off) at recycling depots, selected electronic stores or provincial stewardship program sites.
- Step 2: Transportation and sorting of different electronic devices at official recycling centers.
- Step 3: Assurance of data security by removing any sensitive information through wiping
- Step 4: Dismantling to remove the electronic components and separate hazardous materials safely
- Step 6: Shredding and Recovery, where remaining items are broken down and reusable materials are recovered
The largest Canadian-owned electronics recycler, eCycle Solutions is not only known for its wide reach in six provinces of Canada, but also its positive customer testimonials.
⚡ Challenges and successes in recycling technology
Like many newly introduced recycling technologies, there are bound to be challenges and success stories for electronics recycling in Canada, too. Let's look at the following table for an overview:
| Challenges | Successes stories in Canada |
|---|---|
| Hard to take apart modern devices | Greentec (Ontario): Uses advanced shredders to separate metals. |
| Hazardous materials like lead & mercury | Quantum Lifecycle (Toronto & Vancouver): Safely removes batteries and harmful materials. |
| Recycling tech is expensive | EPRA programs: Fund recyclers so they can invest in better technology. |
| Some e-waste still exported illegally | Certified recyclers (R2v3, ISO 14001): Ensure safe and legal recycling in Canada. |
| Concerns about data security | Quantum Lifecycle & Greentec: Offer secure data wiping and destruction. |
🔋 Battery Recycling Programs
When it comes to battery recycling programs in Canada, we must certainly highlight the influence of Call2Recycle. This non-profit organization is known for its comprehensive nationwide battery collection and recycling services since its establishment in 1997.
Based on the 2023 Call2Recycle annual report, nearly 5.8 million kilograms of batteries were recycled that year — a huge milestone for the organization and for the country.
Due to the different elements embedded inside batteries, there is a need to separate them well for environmental safety. While certain materials like toxic heavy metals and lithium-ion batteries have to be disposed with care to avoid soil contamination and explosion, there are also other materials which can be recovered and reused.
🚗 Recycling Tires
Did you know that Canada recycles almost 30 million scrap tires annually? This number reflects a huge demand for tires, especially among important stakeholders such as tire manufacturers, tire distributors and importers before selling them to the consumers.
Tire recycling is often regulated at the provincial level by different EPR systems. Some examples include Tire Recycling Ontario (TRO), Alberta Recycling Management Authority, The Tire Stewardship Program, under Recycle New Brunswick.
Through the right management and regulations, recycled scrap tires are repurposed into:
- Drainage materials
- Playground and sports fields surfaces
- Molded products for industrial purposes
🪵 How to Recycle Wood
Another important recycling material that we'll be discussing is wood. That's because wood is one of the most repurposed and versatile materials that you can find, whether in households or businesses. At home, there are so many simple things you can do.
For instance, you can reuse old wood and transform it into outdoor furniture, and use scrap wood to make creative recycling activities with your kids. Of course, when it comes to clean woods, it's best to donate or drop them off at your nearest municipal recycling depot.
Recycling wood matters because it has many environmental benefits, such as the following:
Saves landfill space
- A large amount of construction waste
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions
- Wood can release methane
Protects the local forest
- More reused wood means fewer trees need to be cut down
🥫 Metal Recycling
Finally, let's briefly talk about metal recycling. Out of the many metals, aluminium and steel are the most commonly collected metals worldwide, including Canada. That's because they're found everywhere in our daily lives, with a high reusable rate alongside effective recycling programs (like the deposit return program).
Not only that, recycling one ton of aluminum saves approximately 10 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, it's also more energy efficient to recycle aluminium than to make new aluminium from scratch from bauxite mining.
Let's look at how steel and aluminium energy and emissions compare when it comes to recycling and environmental impacts.
| Metal | Energy Savings from Recycling vs. Primary Production | Emissions Reduction from Recycling (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 95% | 95% |
| Steel | 74% | 86% |
This shows that metal recycling is a worthwhile investment in the long run. It also has a relatively straightforward process where the collection and sorting take place, followed by processing where metals are shredded or melted, and then the metals are reused. For example, recycled aluminium can be reused for new cans or car parts, while recycled steel can be reused for certain steel appliances.
We hope this article has inspired you to be more proactive in recycling different materials, wherever you are in Canada. Here's how you can play your role:
- Identify the rules and regulations for different materials like plastic, electronics, and metal
- Be aware of the significance of recycling, especially in terms of environmental benefits
- Pay attention to the stakeholders and the latest technological innovations for recycling
- Begin recycling at your own home and collaborate through the Extended Recycling Programs (ERP)
Interested in knowing more about recycling in Canada? Connect with a Superprof tutor to learn more about your role as a producer or consumer and be a part of this meaningful practice.
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