Circular Materials

Alberta completes shift to producer-funded packaging EPR system

The Canadian province of Alberta has finished moving to a fully producer-managed extended producer responsibility system for single-use packaging and paper, with funding and oversight transferred from municipalities to brand owners and packaging producers. The rollout, coordinated by producer responsibility organisation Circular Materials, now covers 287 communities and standardises the materials collected across the province.

Why this mattersA completed provincial EPR transition gives producers and converters a working model of fully industry-funded collection as similar but contested schemes advance in the UK and elsewhere.

• Alberta's EPR transition covers 287 communities across the province.
• Funding and operational responsibility for recycling has moved from municipalities to brand owners and packaging producers.
• The scheme is coordinated by producer responsibility organisation Circular Materials.
• Materials collected are now standardised across participating communities.
• The transition was reported as completed on 2 October 2026.

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