| | The dairy industry contributes in excess of $1 billion to the province’s economy and touches virtually all Alberta consumers every day. But with that, comes responsibility. The industry recognizes that environmental stewardship is a central part of doing business. The Milk Container Recycling Program has enabled the Alberta Dairy Council to meet stewardship expectations while still allowing them to focus on the aspects of conducting dairy business that Albertans rely on,” says Roberta Windrum of the Alberta Dairy Council.
The Alberta Dairy Council is the trade association for the province’s dairy processors. The Dairy Council, milk producers, municipalities and the provincial government worked together to develop this voluntary program to recycle milk containers. The program was launched in 1999. It is guided by a board with representatives of processors, producers, consumers and municipalities.
In 2002, the program received an Emerald Award from the Alberta Emerald Foundation for 6Environmental Excellence. These days, more than 90% of Alberta residents have access to milk container recycling services through their municipally operated recycling programs. About 1600 tonnes of milk containers were recycled in Alberta in 2005.
Windrum says, “This program is a great example of industry and both municipal and provincial governments working together in the spirit of partnership.”
The program is funded by the three members of the Dairy Council who process and market fluid milk in Alberta – Parmalat Canada, Lucerne and Saputo Milk Division. They contribute a fee to the Container Recycling Fund for every 1-, 2- or 4-litre container of milk that leaves the milk processing plant. Those fees fund the entire Milk Container Recycling Program, including payments to municipalities as well as communications and research activities. The program gives municipalities a top-up fee to stabilize the prices they receive for the used plastic and cardboard milk containers. It also provides municipalities with a transportation supplement to help with the cost of transporting the used containers to companies for recycling.
The program’s communications and research activities are aimed at increasing milk container recycling. At present, about half of the 75 million milk containers sold in Alberta each year are recovered for recycling. The program conducts research to gain a better understanding of consumer recycling practices and of the barriers to recycling. It also carries out consumer research to help develop its effective, memorable advertising campaigns for motivating consumers to recycle. The program’s 2002-03 ad campaign won an Rs of Excellence Award from the Recycling Council of Alberta.
The program’s current ad campaign, called “Transformations”, is based on the research finding that people want to know what happens to the used milk containers. So the ads show a jug or carton being transformed into an end product. Recycled jugs and cartons have a wide range of end uses including detergent bottles, tote containers, lawn chairs and corrugated cardboard.Most recently, the Dairy Council and Global TV have developed a half-hour, documentary style TV program about the Milk Container Recycling Program, which was aired on April 23 on Global TV.
Windrum says, “If we are to have a clean, natural environment for our children, grandchildren and future generations, it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to do what is right. If recycling facilities exist in your community, then it is your responsibility to use those facilities.”
To find out more about the Milk Container Recycling Program, visit www.milkcontainerrecycling.com/AB/. |
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