Sims questions e-cycling contracts in Ontario

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

A new report by the Globe and Mail alleges that Ontario Electronic Stewardship is neglecting its environmental standards when awarding e-scrap contracts.

The story says that OES, which oversees the electronics recycling program for the province, has awarded new contracts for e-scrap recycling despite an earlier pledge to wait until all processors met new environmental and safety standards. The organization says it proceeded with the new contracts when it became clear the approval process for the new standards was taking too long. Additionally, a spokesperson for OES said that most processors will eventually conform to the new standards.

Not everyone is pleased with the development, however. Sims Recycling Solutions has publicly objected to the move, saying OES is cutting corners by ignoring its own environmental standards – at the expense of more responsible processors in the province.

Neither OES nor Sims Recycling Solutions returned comments to E-Scrap News by press time. If you are a processor in Ontario and have more information on this story, email editorial@resource-recycling.com.

UPDATE: After press time, E-Scrap News was contacted by Cindy Coutts, president of Sims Recycling Solutions Canada, who provided more insight into the emerging controversy in Ontario.

Coutts says that the standards in question, which were developed through Electronic Product Stewardship Canada with the input from major OEMs and stakeholders, are not being observed. According to Coutts, OES is sending a mixed message by promoting responsible processing standards on one hand, and then allocating material to more inexpensive processors who don't meet those same standards.

"It's a complete fiasco," says Coutts. "OES has cancelled the RFP three times, and was ordered by Waste Diversion Ontario not to allocate any material until processors met the new standards.  But OES has ignored that.  Now, they're essentially collecting fees from taxpayers and allocating material to processors who may or may not be doing the right thing with it.

"Basically, there is no oversight right now," Coutts concludes. "Waste Diversion Ontario is not ensuring OES is doing its job and the Ministry of Environment is not stepping in either. We have reached out to all of these parties repeatedly but so far, I can't say when or how this situation will be resolved."

ESN is still awaiting comment from OES and will update this story when it becomes available.

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