‘Lots of materials between here and the west coast’

Canada – ‘We see a whole new game in North America, where the younger generation is putting more and more pressure on brand owners and manufacturers to use recycled plastics in their products.’ So says Mark Badger, ceo of major plastics and paper recycler Canada Fibers.

Canada Fibers is busy expanding its recovery and recycling capacity, mainly in Ontario but also in other Canadian provinces, Badger confirms in an interview with Recycling International. ‘There are lots of people and materials between here and the west coast’, he argues.

Recently, Canada Fibers has taken over HGC Management Inc., an Ontario-based company specialising in municipal and commercial waste management. HGC operates seven material recovery facilities (MRFs) in Ontario and runs 75 trucks for kerbside pick-ups of recyclable materials and mixed waste from home-owners.

According to Badger, the acquisition will increase Canada Fibers’ MRF footprint within Ontario, adding coverage in the eastern and western parts of the province. Also, the kerbside pick-up capabilities of HGC will serve to increase the company’s understanding of recycling opportunities at source. ‘The take-over will provide us with more recovered material for our downstream operations, which recycle recovered materials into consumer and industrial products’, he stresses.

Canada Fibers currently operates three material recycling companies under the Urban Resource Group banner, producing highly-formulated plastic materials for applications such as packaging, as well as architectural wooden garden mulch and high-energy wooden fuel pellets.

More about Canada Fibers’ ambitions to be highlighted in a special about Ontario’s recycling industry which will be published in the 2018 / no. 1 issue of Recycling International.