RLG Partners with Circular Materials to Drive Ontario’s Circular Economy with Common Collection System

Background

Ontario’s circular economy is taking a massive leap forward. As a global leader, Reverse Logistics Group (RLG) was awarded the operating contract for Ontario’s Common Collection System (CCS), providing producers with a full compliance service. This innovative and dynamic collaboration with Circular Materials (CMO) will bring a full Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) infrastructure under Ontario’s Blue Box Regulation to the province. The transition will start on the 1st of July 2023 and will be completed by the end of December 2025. CMO will function as the Administrator of the Common Collection System and RLG as its operator. RLG operations have three pillars, Contract Administration, Track and Trace, a web-based platform and Auditing.

Contract Administration

RLG offers unprecedented personal service to each contractor, providing a dedicated contract administrator (CA). Each CA will also have a backup, making day-to-day interactions seamless. The team of administrators that have been hired represents decades of experience in operational, strategic, and project management in waste and related fields. This expertise will ensure that RLG understands the needs of contractors in a complementary and supportive manner. With feet on the ground and a single point of contact, RLG offers unparalleled consistency. The team will cover every corner of the province and are excited to support the role out of the circular economy.

Track and Trace, A Digital Tool for a Circular Economy. 

Track and Trace is an innovative custom-developed web-based platform designed to collect high-quality data on the movement of blue box materials through the collection system. It will simplify compliance reporting, analyze data, and facilitate continual improvement of RLG’s service. This platform is a model for tracking materials from their point of collection to their reintegration into the economy. Its modular design allows access segregation to modules that serve different purposes, including supply chain management, data reporting, document management and packaging and compositional audit data entry. On top of this, the application is integrated with satellite systems for data analysis and visualization, financial management, payment, and customer relationship management (CRM), providing tools to support communication across the value chain.

Auditing and Effectiveness

A comprehensive auditing framework has been developed to ensure that the system is effective, measuring and reducing contamination in the blue box. RLG is ready this summer with a fully staffed audit facility dedicated to ensuring transparency and accuracy.  The team will audit hundreds of 100 kg samples before the end of this year, supplying invaluable compositional data about collected blue box materials. During 2023, these samples will come from fourteen different Receiving Facilities (RFs) in Toronto, London, and Ottawa. 

The auditing is going to be conducted at a central location in Brampton. Having a central facility has several environmental and economic advantages, including consistency of sorting method, greater quality control and sample security and significant confidence in the data that is being collected. In addition, health and safety controls are in place for sorting staff and, finally, a smaller environmental footprint with samples being delivered in bulk, resulting in fewer kilometers being driven.

Samples will be sorted into eighty-four different material categories from various sources, including curbside and multi-family units, expanding to include public spaces in the future. This program will supply an unprecedented overview of the material, its composition, and how it changes in real time and in response to interventions and changing drivers. RLG is exceptionally excited to see and be a significant player in making the circular economy a reality.

More Information

For any inquiries, please email opscanada@rev-log.com