2022 Sees Carton Recycling Performance Trending in the Right Direction

Apr 18, 2023 12:15 PM ET
Carton Council CA

Originally published by Carton Council of Canada

Every year, Carton Council of Canada (CCC) publishes the national blended collection-recycling rate for cartons on its website. For 2022, we are pleased to report that this performance now stands at 57%, up from 55% in 2021.

How We Track Performance

The carton performance that we report annually is based on data shared by the various provincial and territorial organizations who operate recycling programs. Some jurisdictions report a recycling rate while others report a collection rate. For this reason, we cannot report a uniform national recycling or collection rate.

The recycling rate refers to the tonnes of cartons sent for recycling (i.e., once they have been sorted and baled at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) or redeemed through a deposit return system) divided by the tonnes of cartons supplied to market. In contrast, the collection rate refers to the tonnes of cartons collected in the recycling stream and delivered to a MRF divided by the tonnes of cartons supplied to market.

The blended collection-recycling rate is a weighted average of Canada’s thirteen (13) jurisdictions. It is based on the latest available data. The data is compiled, and the calculations are carried out by, a qualified third-party on behalf of CCC.

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