Ready to report webinars
More than 300 stewards participated in recent reporting webinars to help them prepare to submit PPP data in the WeRecycle Portal by the May 31 deadline. Webinar replays, presentations and other information for new and experienced stewards are available on the 2019 Reporting Resources webpage.
Upcoming steward survey
CSSA has engaged Innovative Research Group, an independent market research firm, to conduct a short online survey of steward organizations. A link to the confidential survey will be sent by email near the end of March. Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help CSSA to improve its services and interactions with stewards. Please look for the survey in your inbox and take a few minutes to complete it.
Material Cost Differentiation (MCD) project update
Planning for the Material Category test is underway and the outcome will help inform recommended changes to the material categories. The MCD project has also commissioned a device to replicate the conditions on a collection truck and measure each material category’s density while under compaction. Density measurement is an important input to overall project results. More information on the MCD project is available here .
Recycle BC’s revised program plan update
Recycle BC continues its discussions with the government to finalize its revised program plan. As previously noted, Recycle BC's revised program plan was approved by its Board of Directors in September 2018 before being sent to the BC Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (MoECCS) for review and approval. Recycle BC will advise stewards when the program plan is final. 
All depots now accept Other Flexible Plastic Packaging
All Recycle BC depots are now obligated to accept OFPP as part of a research and development project. The project will determine how best to recycle materials in this category, which is one of the largest categories of packaging not previously collected under the residential recycling program. Learn more here .  
Smooth transition to new payment model
MMSW’s new supply-chain payment model came into effect on January 1, 2019, following Advisory Committee and Board of Directors approval in 2018. The model increases per household payments to municipalities for both curbside and depot collection services for the first time since the program’s launch. 
First Nations recycling
MMSM Municipal Services staff recently traveled to Thompson, Manitoba, to participate in the First Nations Communities Sustainable Waste Management Workshop. In collaboration with other provincial recycling organizations, MMSM staff engaged with First Nations communities to provide advice and assistance with their residential recycling programs.
9.6 million plastic bags… and counting
The 2018 Bag up Manitoba Plastic Bag Challenge recycled 886,000 plastic bags that were collected by 154 schools in the province. All bags were processed in Manitoba to create benches for 14 participating schools. A program of Take Pride Winnipeg! Inc., MMSM has partnered on this important initiative for the past nine years, diverting more than 9.6 million plastic bags from landfills.
MHSW wind up consultation
As per the 2018 direction from the provincial government , the waste diversion program for single-use batteries will cease operation on June 30, 2020, and the programs for other MHSW materials will cease operation on December 31, 2020. Consultation with stewards will be taking place via webinar on April 2, 2019 , from 10 – 12 p.m. Learn more and register here .
2019 fee rates apply
AMS stewards are reminded that Q2 reports of Q1 data are due by April 30. This report will be the first to be invoiced based on 2019 fee rates, which are unchanged from 2018 except for a reduction in the fee for smaller oil filters. More information on fee rates is available here .