The PULSE March 2020

THE PULSE

NEWSLETTER OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF RECYCLING INDUSTRIES

Vol. 25, Issue 3, March 2020

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

TAKING THE RIGHT ACTIONS IN A CHALLENGING TIME

In an atmosphere of great uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, we at CARI recognize that our members are concerned for the safety of their employees, co-workers, and families, as well as for the economic fallout.

The response by governments at all levels is varied across the country and changing rapidly. CARI has been advocating at the provincial and federal levels to ensure recycling facilities are considered essential businesses. While the recent essential services announcements in Ontario and Quebec currently allow recyclers to continue to operate, it is not business as usual. All businesses must follow strict social distancing guidelines to ensure the safety of their employees and the public.

CARI strongly recommends that all members ensure they have taken all possible precautions, including but not limited to the following:

  • Tell all sick employees to remain at home
  • Reduce staff and allow tele-commuting wherever possible
  • Reduce employee interactions with the public as much as possible and provide gloves to those who must interact with the public (e.g., cashiers)
  • Restrict the number of employees within any room and ensure a distance of two metres between them
  • Stagger breaks and limit the number of employees in a break room
  • Ensure all shared spaces and frequently touched surfaces are cleaned thoroughly and frequently. Public Health Ontario has issued cleaning and disinfecting guidelines available here
  • Restrict public access to your facility
  • Ensure people lined up to receive payment maintain a distance of two metres from each other
  • Keep up to date with guidelines issued by the health authorities

CARI staff remain fully active and reachable (all staff work remotely). Despite this extraordinary situation, CARI is continuing its advocacy work with governments at all levels, communicating important information to members, and offering assistance to members as needed.

CARI continues to examine if and how we will move forward with our upcoming events and will keep members apprised of these decisions. As always, every activity CARI undertakes is done in the best interest of our members.

Should you have any questions or concerns in this challenging time, please do not hesitate to reach out to CARI president Tracy Shaw [email protected].

And above all, please stay safe.

Matt Zubick
CARI Chair

COVID-19 SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR BUSINESSES

  • A new Business Credit Availability program is available to Canadian businesses in financing and credit insurance solutions through: Export Development Canada and the Business Development Bank of Canada
  • The Canada Revenue Agency will defer tax payments until August 31, 2020, to help businesses with cash flow
  • The Canadian government has issued immediate relief for small businesses*: a 10% wage subsidy for the next 90 days, up to a maximum of $1,375 per employee and $25,000 per employer (*specifically corporations eligible for the small business deduction)
  • The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has released a Pandemic Preparedness Guide for Businesses
  • Public Health Ontario has shared Cleaning and Disinfection Protocols


REMINDER: REGISTRATION REQUIRED BY MARCH 31 FOR WORK WITH SMALL BATTERIES USED IN ONTARIO

Regardless of your location, those who process, refurbish, or haul single-use and/or rechargeable batteries weighing 5 kg or less and used in Ontario must register with Ontario’s Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority on or before March 31, 2020.

Those registering must provide their name and contact information, the battery categories they manage, and the location(s) of their processing or refurbishing sites.

The Authority has not yet set up an online registry. To register, contact the Authority at [email protected] or (647) 496-0530 or toll free at (833) 600-0530. For more information visit https://rpra.ca/programs/batteries/.

4TH BATCH QUOTAS RELEASED FOR CHINESE WASTE AND SCRAP IMPORTS

On 7 March, 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment published the 4th batch of waste import quotas for 2020*. This 4th batch allows 3,520 tonnes of copper scrap, 100 tonnes of aluminium scrap, 170 tonnes of steel scrap, and 6,460 tonnes of paper scrap to enter China.
* Original list in Chinese. Use your web browser to translate into preferred language.

EU RELEASES CIRCULAR ECONOMY ACTION PLAN

On March 11, 2020, the European Commission adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan — one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth.

With measures along the entire life cycle of products, the new Action Plan aims to make our economy fit for a green future, strengthen our competitiveness while protecting the environment and give new rights to consumers. Building on the work done since 2015, the new Plan focuses on the design and production for a circular economy, with the aim to ensure that the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible.

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