Hamilton faces $20-million recycling lawsuit

Canada Fibers Ltd., Hamilton’s recycling contractor, has launched a $20-million lawsuit against the city. The recycler alleges that not only did Hamilton breach contract, but the said-breach has also resulted in the company losing substantial amounts of money.

In Canada Fibers Ltd.’s statement of claim, they allege that out-of-date sorting equipment and a spike in non-recyclable material has affected their ability to turn a profit on recycled goods.

Hamilton’s blue box contamination rate, which represents the amount of ruined or non-recyclable items that need to be thrown away, is approximately 14 per cent.

While many Hamiltonians are trying their best to use their blue boxes, many are not recycling properly. The largest mistake that people make is failing to rinse out jars or containers before placing them in the recycle.

Taking the time to rinse out an empty jar of tomato sauce or container of yogurt makes the difference of what’s recyclable and what’s destined for the dump.

It’s also important to note that Hamilton has recently changed its laws on what materials are recyclable and what aren’t.

Back in January, China backed out as a buyer of recycled Canadian paper and plastics. Due to this change in market, Hamilton had to ban items such as Styrofoam, black plastic and coffee cup lids from its blue box program.

So far, this market collapse has cost the city $1.2 million in lost revenue.

Hamilton has filed a notice of intent to defend the lawsuit. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

What do you think about this lawsuit? How cautious are you when recycling? Let us know in the comments.

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• Blue Bin
• Blue Box
• Hamilton
• Hamilton Lawsuit
• HamOnt
• Lawsuit
• Recycling