News Packaging Paper
Recovery of corrugated in Ontario hits new heights

The recovery of old corrugated containers (OCC) or boxes from Ontario households has reached an amazing 98 per cent in 2014.

This is the highest recovery rate ever for the common brown box, and makes it the most widely recovered packaging material from Ontario homes.

“This is great news,” said John Mullinder, executive director of the industry’s environmental council, PPEC. “Corrugated recovery nationally from the back of factories, supermarkets and offices is high, we estimate about 85 per cent, but this number from Ontario homes is just the cream on the cake.”

The latest data comes from detailed municipal and industry reports for 2014 that have been verified and audited by Waste Diversion Ontario and the Blue Box organization, Stewardship Ontario.

Some 74 per cent of the paper in Ontario homes was captured in the Blue Box, with old telephone books, corrugated boxes and old newspapers all having recovery rates in the `90s. Clear glass was next at 89 per cent followed by old magazines at 79 per cent, coloured glass at 78 per cent, and steel food and beverage cans at 73 per cent.