Waste Not, Want Not: The Shifting Landscape Of Extended Producer Responsibility Programs In Canada

The way in which our economy extracts, uses and disposes of resources is placing ever increasing pressure on our ecosystems, as well as communities and public health. According to the Global Waste Index of 2022, Canada ranked 31^st in the world based on waste production (706 kg per year), incineration, and landfill use. However, Canada places second in the list of countries with the highest amount of daily per capita municipal solid waste ("MSW") at 2.33 kg/per capita. The United States holds top spot in the waste generation game with a daily per capita amount of 2.58 kg of MSW. Globally, the United Nations Environment Programme reports in its Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 that our planet is home to approximately 2.1 billion tonnes of MSW, a figure which is expected to rise by 80% to 3.80 billion tonnes by 2050 if urgent action is not taken. In addition to municipal waste, human activity generates significant amounts of waste in other sectors, including