FAQ | MAKETHEDROP.CA

Frequently Asked Questions:

Stewardship Ontario FAQ

Who is Stewardship Ontario?
What is EPR?
What is product stewardship?
Who governs the Organization?
How is the Board of Directors chosen?
Are there other stewards organizations working Ontario?
Is Stewardship Ontario a Government-run organization?
Does Stewardship Ontario accept money from the government?
How can I give feedback to Stewardship Ontario?

Orange Drop FAQ

What is Orange Drop?
What is MHSW?
What is the difference between Orange Drop and MHSW?
Why can’t these materials be collected from my house like the Blue Box or Green Bin?
How is the Orange Drop program making it more convenient for consumers to recycle these materials?
Who collects/transports/processes the materials?
Why shouldn’t medication be flushed down the toilet/put in the sink?
Why can’t these materials just go to landfill? (or what happens if I don’t participate in the Blue Bin, Green Bin or Orange Drop Programs?)
Who pays for the program?
Where do materials that aren’t recycled end up going?
How is this program different from my municipal MHSW site?
How do I know the materials being managed in the most environmentally and economically sound way and not just going to landfill?
Why haven’t I heard about this program before?
How much money does the Orange Drop program cost?
Can I drop my MHSW materials off at any Orange Drop site across the province?
What are BUD guidelines?
Why should I care about Orange Drop?
Do I have to sort things once I get to a drop off location, or can I deliver it all in one package?

Who is Stewardship Ontario?: Stewardship Ontario is a private, not-for-profit corporation set up to develop, fund and operate government-mandated stewardship programs for printed paper and packaging (Blue Box) and household hazardous and special waste (Orange Drop). The organization was set up to discharge businesses’ extended producer responsibility obligations under the Waste Diversion Act (2002).

What is EPR?: EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility. This means accepting responsibility for the full “life” of a product that is put into consumer hands. In other words – A company makes a product. A consumer buys it. A consumer uses it. Any leftover product and its packaging is once again the responsibility of the company.

What is product stewardship?: Stewards are defined as brand owners and first importers of materials that end up in the waste stream. Product stewardship means accepting responsibility for the entire life of a product and its packaging. By paying fees to Stewardship Ontario, Stewards are funding the collection, transportation, recycling and/or safe disposal of the products/packaging. This means materials are diverted from landfill and hazardous materials do not enter the water/sewage stream.

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Who governs the Organization?: Stewardship Ontario is governed by a 16-member board of directors and includes a staff of 35.

How is the Board of Directors chosen?: Stewardship Ontario’s Board of Directors is a competency based Board whose composition is regulated by Ontario Regulation 33/08. The regulation stipulates that the Board must be composed of 14 industry directors and two independent directors.
The Caldwell Partners International was retained by Stewardship Ontario to develop selection criteria and screen each applicant – over 400 – against the determined criteria. Once selected, the 14 candidates are elected by qualified voting organizations whose members are stewards. The two independent directors are subsequently appointed by the elected directors.

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Are there other stewards organizations working Ontario?: Yes. Ontario Tire Stewardship (www.ontariots.ca) and Ontario Electronic Stewardship (www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca)

Is Stewardship Ontario a Government-run organization?

No. In 2002 the Province of Ontario passed the Waste Diversion Act with the aim of promoting the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste generated in Ontario. The Act established a non-crown corporation – Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) – run by a board of directors comprised of representatives from industry, municipal or non-government organizations (NGOs), and public interest groups.

The Waste Diversion Act (WDA) empowers the Minister of the Environment to designate a material for which a waste diversion program is to be established (e.g., newspaper). Once the minister has designated a material through a regulation under the Act, the minister asks WDO, working co-operatively with the specified industry funding organization (IFO), to develop a diversion program (e.g., the Blue Box program). Waste diversion programs are developed by WDO in accordance with the minister’s request and, once submitted, must be approved by the minister.

WDO establishes and monitors the performance of industry funding organizations. Currently, WDO oversees four waste diversion programs: Blue Box and Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW), in conjunction with Stewardship Ontario; waste electronics, in conjunction with Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES); and used tires, in conjunction with Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS).

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Does Stewardship Ontario accept money from the government?

No. Stewardship Ontario and its programs are funded from the fees we collect from our stewards.

Orange Drop is 100 per cent funded by the fees we collect from MHSW stewards – this means stewards of these products are participating in full extended producer responsibility(EPR)
Stewardship Ontario gathers fees from Blue Box Stewards that cover 50 per cent of the cost of the program. The remaining 50 per cent of the program is funded by municipalities – a move towards full extended producer responsibility (EPR) for Blue Box stewards is expected before long.

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How can I give feedback to Stewardship Ontario?: We are available by phone, fax and e-mail.

What is Orange Drop?

Orange Drop is the program that has been introduced to help recycle household hazardous and special waste materials that need extra care when they’ve reached the end of their useful lives.

The Orange Drop Program’s objective is to recover and recycle or safely dispose of these materials to ensure they don't end up dumped in landfills or poured down sewers and drains. And, so they don't end up sitting in our homes taking up space in our garages, basements and other storage areas.

Through the Orange Drop Program you can return designated materials to your local Municipal HHW Depot, to collection events and to many retailers. Since the inception of Orange Drop thousands of Ontario pharmacies now take back pharmaceuticals, sharps, needles and syringes as part of the Orange Drop program.

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What is MHSW?: MHSW stands for Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste. These are materials that are potentially dangerous to humans and the environment if disposed of incorrectly.

What is the difference between Orange Drop and MHSW?: Orange Drop is the name of the program which promotes the collection of MHSW.
MHSW is a category of products and materials which require special processes for disposal or recycling.

Why can’t these materials be collected from my house like the Blue Box or Green Bin?: Unlike the empty containers, used paper products or organics that go into these bins, the materials that are collected through the Orange Drop Program can be harmful to people, animals or the environment if they were to be mishandled (e.g., if antifreeze were to leak out of a collection bin onto a lawn. Dogs who are attracted to the sweet taste could be poisoned… not to mention the damage to your grass, and then the rain comes, washing the chemicals into the sewer.) MHSW products generally should not mix and potentially could if thrown into a bin together.

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How is the Orange Drop Program making it more convenient for consumers to recycle these materials?: Many of our stewards who have retail environments are gathering MHSW items in their stores. We are increasing the number of local collection events that encourage people to clean out their basements, garages and other storage spaces. Visit makethedrop.ca to find your nearest drop zone.
Through the Orange Drop Program you can return materials to your local Municipal HHW Depot, to collection events and to many retailers. And now, thousands of Ontario pharmacies take back pharmaceuticals, sharps, needles and syringes as part of the Orange Drop Program.

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Who collects/transports/processes the materials?

Materials can be dropped off by consumers at collection sites that are owned/operated by municipalities. Collection sites may also be operated by commercial and retail operators that have been approved by Stewardship Ontario through a vendor selection/approval process.

Transporters are those who take MHSW materials from collection sites to the processing site.

Processors are companies who can convert MHSW materials in new products (e.g., recycled pre-tinted paint).

Both transporters and processors must be approved by Stewardship Ontario through a vendor selection/approval process.

Why shouldn’t medication be flushed down the toilet/put in the sink?: Flushing pharmaceuticals down the toilet or the drain puts contaminants in the water stream; which creates the potential for health-related consequences for animals and humans.

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Why can’t these materials just go to landfill? (or what happens if I don’t participate in the Blue Bin, Green Bin or Orange Drop Programs?)

In Ontario, we produce about 13 million tonnes of waste a year. Ontarians diverted about three million tonnes of garbage in 2005, and communities’ diversion rates are increasing.
Source: http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/land/wastedisposal/index.php

Landfill sites are not ideal. North America is running out of room to house these sites and burying garbage in landfill does not mean the waste is actually “gone”. The transportation of the waste to landfill leaves a huge carbon footprint.

While some of the items buried in landfill decompose over time, moisture and water can filter through the waste, picking up metals, minerals, organic chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other toxic materials. This contaminated water is called leachate. If the leachate is not contained, it can travel from the site and contaminate our ground and surface water.

Modern landfills are engineered to meet strict rules and standards to collect and treat leachate but even with these precautions, landfills are not the solution.

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Who pays for the program?: Orange Drop is 100 per cent funded from the fees Stewardship Ontario collects from our industry stewards.

Where do materials that aren’t recycled end up going?: Materials that cannot be recycled or repurposed into material that can be used for new products, are either incinerated e.g., pharmaceuticals or sent to contained landfills where it undergoes a process to ensure that it is “neutralized” and therefore no longer harmful to the environment.

How is this program different from my municipal MHSW site?: Orange Drop is the name of the program which encourages consumers to drop their MHSW at collection depots, such as your municipal MHSW site.

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How do I know the materials are being managed in the most environmentally and economically sound way and not just going to landfill?: Stewardship Ontario’s goal is to meet the collection and recycling targets of pre-determined materials/products. The materials and targets are identified by the Minister of the Environment. Waste Diversion Ontario, which oversees Stewardship Ontario, ensures we are on track and are fulfilling our regulations and requirements.

Why haven’t I heard about this program before?: Prior to July 2010 there were only nine MHSW materials that Stewardship Ontario was responsible for recovering, recycling and/or disposing of safely. When the additional 13 material categories were added to the MHSW program, and additional collection sites were established; the Orange Drop Program was initiated to increase consumer awareness and participation.

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How much money does the Orange Drop program cost?: In 2009, the Orange Drop Program cost $25.6 million. All of which came from the fees paid by our industry stewards.

Can I drop my MHSW materials off at any Orange Drop site across the province?

Commercial or municipal-operated collection depots can accept all MHSW materials. Retail collection sites are generally more limited in what they can accept.

What are BUD guidelines?

Buy only what you need.
Use it all up.
Drop off the rest and we’ll recycle, reprocess or safely dispose of it.

We encourage you to only buy what you need of a product, and if for some reason you have some leftover, see what alternative use you can find for it or share it with your neighbours.

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Why should I care about Orange Drop?: We all have a role to play to ensure that the products we use everyday are handled with the care they need when we’re finished with them. We need to be accountable for what we buy, how we use it, and how we dispose of it when we are finished with a product. Only by doing so can we affect the sustainability of the environment.