The Yukon government approved three stewardship plans for its EPR program this week, giving organizations the go-ahead to start managing recycling later this year.

The EPR — or Extended Producer Responsibility — program came into effect at the beginning of 2024 and is meant to shift the cost of recycling materials from governments and taxpayers to the producers of those materials. That means the cost of recycling will be taken on by brand distributors and franchises, but also some local Yukon businesses.

"Those who introduce materials into the market are responsible for ensuring it's managed properly," Natalia Baranova said. Baranova oversees the Yukon government unit responsible for the EPR regulation.

The territory has approved stewardship plans from Circular Materials, Interchange Recycling and Call2Recycle. Another plan from the organization ProductCare is expected to be completed this summer.

The four organizations – known as Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) — will begin managing recycling services in the territory later this year. They will be charging fees to businesses that produce the materials they recycle.

"Producer Responsibility Organizations are usually nonprofit organizations that are created by the producers themselves," Baranova said. "They decide how to organize and usually they do it by product category."

Circular Materials will manage paper and packaging, Interchange will handle antifreeze, diesel exhaust fluid and oil, Call2Recycle will manage batteries and ProductCare will be responsible hazardous materials.

The organizations will coordinate with local depots, processors, collectors and waste management facilities to ensure a smooth transition from the current recycling model to the new program, Baranova said.

"It is entirely possible that the individual resident may not see huge changes on how they access the services," she said.

It will be up to the PROs to create contracts with local recycling service providers.

The biggest change says Baranova will be "on the back end." Businesses will need to register with one or more PROs and pay the applicable fees for recycling the materials they produce. The PROs will determine the cost of those fees and how they are implemented.

Some businesses have already been paying fees, even though the PROs are not yet managing services.

Interchange Recycling has been charging "development fees" to registered businesses to help pay for the cost of its stewardship plan. Next month, those businesses will see an increase in fees ahead of Interchange's services starting in August.

"Now that the plan has been approved, we know we can post out what the program is going to cost — and we put effective April first, there'll be implementation fees going into place," said Interchange Recycling CEO, David Lawes.

Interchange is asking businesses in the Yukon that sell oil, diesel exhaust fluid and antifreeze to register now, says Lawes.

In February, the opposition Yukon Party issued a statement calling for a delay in the EPR program to address businesses' concerns.

"Our understanding is many of the Chamber of Commerce members remain under-informed about the regulation's details and what it's going to mean for them," Yukon Party MLA Scott Kent told CBC News in February.

Kent worries that consumers will have to take on the extra costs charged to businesses during already uncertain economic times.

"I think one of the things that [the Yukon government] is leaving out is that often when manufacturers and producers are hit with an extra tax or extra fees, they'll just simply pass those costs back on to the consumers."

Baranova says delaying the EPR program would not address businesses' concerns.

"Businesses of course want to know how much they're going to have to pay into the system, and delaying our program plan review and approval would really only delay the timing of when those fees would come," Baranova said.

"The best thing we can do is approve the plans and therefore clear the way for Producer Responsibility Organizations to start setting up the logistics of the program."

The EPR regulation also includes deadlines for PRO stewardship plan submissions and for how quickly they must begin their services after their plans are approved.

That means regulatory changes would be required if the implementation of EPR was delayed, Baranova said.

Interchange Recycling will be the first PRO to start its services with a projected start date of Aug. 1. The Yukon government expects all four organizations to begin services by the end of the fall.