Bill 87, Environmental Protection Amendment Act (Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Source Separation Programs), 2025
Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill requires the Minister to review and report on recycling rules for businesses and institutions within nine months.
Key Changes
- Requires the Minister to begin a review of Ontario Regulation 103/94 (ICI source separation rules) within three months of the bill receiving Royal Assent
- Requires the Minister to report findings to the Legislative Assembly within nine months of starting the review
- Mandates the review consider outcomes-based requirements such as diversion targets, disposal caps, and contamination thresholds
- Requires the review to examine size thresholds for facilities, designated materials, public reporting, and third-party monitoring
- Requires consideration of complementary tools like producer responsibility programs and disposal bans
- Requires the review to look at ways to improve diversion rates in multi-residential buildings
Gotchas
- This bill only requires a review and a report — it does not itself change any recycling rules or create new obligations for businesses
- Any actual regulatory changes to Ontario Regulation 103/94 would require separate legislative or regulatory action after the review is completed
- The bill does not specify what happens if the Minister does not complete the review or report within the stated timeframes, raising questions about enforceability
- The review's scope includes exploring producer responsibility and disposal bans, which could signal future policy directions with significant industry implications
- The bill applies to Ontario only and does not affect federal environmental regulations
Who's Affected
- Industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities in Ontario (e.g., offices, factories, schools, hospitals, restaurants)
- Ontario Ministry of the Environment
- Waste management and recycling companies
- Multi-residential building owners and managers
- Producers and manufacturers subject to potential extended producer responsibility rules
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- This bill only requires a review and a report — it does not itself change any recycling rules or create new obligations for businesses
- Any actual regulatory changes to Ontario Regulation 103/94 would require separate legislative or regulatory action after the review is completed
- The bill does not specify what happens if the Minister does not complete the review or report within the stated timeframes, raising questions about enforceability
- The review's scope includes exploring producer responsibility and disposal bans, which could signal future policy directions with significant industry implications
- The bill applies to Ontario only and does not affect federal environmental regulations
Summary
Bill 87 amends Ontario's Environmental Protection Act to require the provincial Minister of the Environment to conduct a formal review of Ontario Regulation 103/94, which governs how industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) facilities — like offices, factories, schools, and hospitals — must separate and divert recyclable or compostable materials from landfill waste. The Minister must begin this review within three months of the bill becoming law and must present findings to the Legislative Assembly within nine months of starting the review. The review must look at things like which sectors are covered, what materials must be diverted, how performance is measured, and whether additional tools like producer responsibility or disposal bans could help. The bill was introduced because Ontario's current ICI recycling rules are seen as lacking clear, measurable, and enforceable targets. The goal is to identify how to modernize these rules so that businesses and institutions are held to specific, trackable outcomes rather than vague requirements.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses