Flexible plastic packaging represents a significant proportion of plastic packaging used in Canada, but collection and recycling rates remain low.
The transition of Canadian provinces to extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems is accompanied by ambitious collection and recycling targets for films and flexible packaging, such as:
- Ontario: 25% recycling rate by 2026, 40% by 2030
- Quebec: 40% recycling rate by 2027, 50% by 2030
There is strong market demand for recycled resins, but recyclers face high bale contamination (up to 30-40%), inconsistent quality and major collection and sorting challenges.