Yukoners can talk trash in a new online survey.
The survey on “extended producer responsibility” (EPR) opened on Nov. 1.
“The Government of Yukon will be implementing extended producer responsibility in the territory, which will make companies and producers responsible for the recycling or disposal of their products and packaging,” reads a Nov. 1 press release.
Premier Sandy Silver boasted about the survey being the Yukon government’s “100th territory-wide major public engagement” since 2017 to the legislature on Nov. 1.
“From seasonal time change and the decision to stop changing our clocks, to strategies for tackling climate change and modernizing our health care system, Yukoners’ input and civic involvement has helped inform government decisions and make them more responsive to the needs of Yukoners,” he said.
One thing all three political parties in the Yukon Legislative Assembly briefly agreed on this fall sitting is the importance of getting input from Yukoners.
According to public Yukon government documents, EPR is a “producer pay system” that legally obligates companies or producers to collect and manage products and packaging they put out.
That changes from the government, recycling processors and Yukoners paying for it, according to a question-and-answer document.
“The current system is financially unsustainable,” reads the document, noting that the two businesses providing recycling services in the territory could pull the plug at any moment.
“The EPR regulation will enable a new framework for end-of-life management of materials in the territory. Nine out of 10 provinces already have EPR regulatory frameworks and Alberta is currently working to establish one as well,” reads a discussion paper dated Oct. 25.
The regulations will set specific outcomes and producers are free to reach those outcomes through the private sector.
Printed paper and packaging, household hazardous waste and automotive waste could fall under the EPR.
The Yukon government is proposing making clear the definition of a producer in certain situations and exempting small businesses from production obligations if they meet certain criteria.
The survey runs until Jan. 27.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com