Zero Waste Simcoe says eco fees lead to waste rewards

News release from Zero Waste Simcoe March 28 2011

Zero Waste Simcoe Board member Ray Millar doesn’t think eco fees are a tax grab. “Looking at it that way its a laugh now, cry later scenario”.

Millar says that we have a choice to make… we can pay an eco fee now and create a market force that will result in products designed for the environment or we can ignore the problem and later pay the price for burying ourselves in our own garbage.

“Eco fees are levies  to promote ecologically sustainable activities via economic incentives and move Ontarians toward extended producer responsibility (EPR). They are a cost imposed upon the producer who knows his product will end up in the garbage some day and someone, currently the taxpayer, has to pay for its disposal. 

“Smart producers want to reduce their cost of production. So by reducing the waste in their product they can reduce the eco-fee. As producers become more innovative, producers and their customers will eliminate eco-fees because they will have eliminated the waste”

Environmentalists view an “eco-tax” is something entirely different. An eco-tax is a government charge imposed on a product or service with the revenue likely going to promote some ecologically sustainable activity. It has limited effect in encouraging producers to reduce waste.

Zero Waste Simcoe says a well developed eco-fee policy is forward thinking and would compliment and/or replace the need for an onerous waste regulatory approach.

So who should be paying?

Millar is unequivocal-” The market is very efficient, if EPR creates an economic incentive to change, businesses will do so. This program is forward thinking…it’s an incentive for business to be proactive, design for the environment and create less waste”

Local grassroots organization Zero Waste Simcoe believes that nobody wants to pay fees unnecessarily. Canadians know they do have to pay for what they receive. ZWS feels that if we pay eco-fees today and reduce waste at source, we will avoid having to pay for increasingly expensive disposal solutions in the years ahead.

 Ray Millar thinks our new leaders should be prepared to look at eco fees as an investment in our future waste management health.

 Ultimately it’s ‘pay me now or pay me later’…. and ‘later’ is almost here.