Canada’s Competition Bureau is launching a public consultation to gather input from Canadians on specific questions related to the new greenwashing provisions of the Competition Act. This consultation will inform the Bureau’s development of enforcement guidance about environmental claims, including its interpretation of the new provisions. The new provisions about greenwashing were added to the law following a series of amendments that took place on June 20, 2024. Simply stated, businesses are now required to have testing or substantiation to support certain environmental claims.  The Bur ..read more

Call2Recycle Canada and EVSX, a wholly owned battery recycling subsidiary of St-Georges Eco-Mining Corp. have started up EVSX’s new battery processing plant in Thorold, Ontario. This facility will recycle the increasing volumes of alkaline and carbon zinc batteries collected through Call2Recycle’s extensive battery recycling program in Ontario and other provinces. Located at the Bioveld Complex in Niagara, the plant has a processing capacity of 4,200 tons of alkaline batteries per year, achieving an 87.7% ratio of battery components effectively recycled (RER or recycling efficiency rate), the ..read more

Terex Corporation is buying Environmental Solutions Group (ESG) from Dover Corporation in a US$2.0 billion all-cash transaction. ESG designs and builds refuse collection vehicles, waste compaction equipment, and associated parts and digital solutions. ESG comprises several brands — Heil, Marathon, Curotto-Can, and Bayne Thinline, as well as digital solutions offerings 3rd Eye and Soft-Pak. ESG’s products and services across equipment, digital and aftermarket offerings are complementary to Terex’s businesses, and will allow Terex to expand its customer base, provide customers with a b ..read more

Batteries Plus a U.S.-based battery retailer for both consumer and business needs, and one of the largest retail battery recyclers in the U.S., has been selected for negotiation of a grant of over US$7 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (DOE) to use its expertise to spearhead a nationwide initiative to increase battery recycling.  With 700+ locally owned stores across the U.S., Batteries Plus has been involved in battery collection and recycling for more than 30 years. With a passion for environmental responsibility, Bat ..read more

The FoodHero app, which connects consumers with surplus food, is now available across the country thanks to an expanded partnership with grocer Empire Company. FoodHero products will be available in Ontario, Atlantic Canada and Western Canada at over 500 participating stores. Starting from July 2, FoodHero began rolling out to participating Sobeys stores in Ontario. The rollout has continued with Sobeys and Foodland in Atlantic Canada from July 8, and Sobeys, Safeway, IGA West and Thrifty Foods in Western Canada from July 15. It adds to FoodHero’s already extensive network of stores across Que ..read more

The federal ministry of environment and climate change will re-invest up to $2.2 million of recycled industrial pollution pricing revenues to fund an emissions reduction project at St. Marys Cement in St. Marys, Ontario. St. Marys Cement Inc. (Canada), which is part of the Brazil-based Votorantim Cimentos group, is installing new specialty cement kiln that uses lower-carbon fuels, including discarded plastics, to replace up to 30 percent of the high-carbon fuels required for the manufacturing process. The innovative technology is expected to cut over 39,900 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissi ..read more

The Canadian Beverage Association (CBA) says Ontario needs to introduce a deposit return system for beverage cans and bottles to bring its woeful recycling numbers up. A report published by the Canadian Beverage Association (and researched and written by Eunomia Research & Consulting Inc.) has found that the most effective way for Ontario to achieve a 90% recovery rate for beverage containers is by expanding the province’s existing deposit system operated by The Beer Store, and providing Ontarians with more retail and depot locations to take back bottles and cans to receive a 10-cent refun ..read more

Michel Chornet is the new CEO at Ererkem, succeeding Dominique Boies. Michel Chornet Michel Chornet, who has been part of Enerkem’s leadership team for years, assumes the role of CEO immediately. Michel’s family founded Enerkem in 2000 with co-founders Esteban Chornet (his father) and Vincent Chornet (his late brother). Montreal-based Enerkem transforms non-recyclable waste into biofuels, low-carbon fuels and circular chemicals for hard-to-abate sectors, including sustainable aviation and marine fuels. Michel brings more than 25 years of experience in technology development, business developme ..read more

A Stockholm-based startup has worked with Google engineers to develop an app that will identify recyclable materials. The Swedish company, Bower, developed the app thanks to a €1.75M contribution and free support from a team of Google engineers through a six-month Google.org Fellowship. The app allows anyone with a smartphone to identify everyday items and immediately learn how to recycle them.  The free and globally-available Bower app, downloadable on both Android and iOS and used by 680,000 people worldwide, lets users log a product by scanning its barcode, before being rewarded with m ..read more

Polystyvert, which specializes in recycling styrenic plastics (polystyrene and ABS), has landed new investments of more than $16 million. Polystyvert’s demonstration plant. This investment represents another step for the company towards the construction of its very first commercial plant in Québec, dedicated to recycling highly contaminated polystyrene waste. It is expected to become operational in 2026. Other investors will participate in a second tranche of this financing to raise up to $30M. “This announcement, in the current economical context, reflects the unwavering support of our invest ..read more