The ultimate goal is to reduce and minimize the volumes of plastic waste going to Alberta landfills. The Strategy recognizes that recycling must make economic and environmental sense. The Strategy is also developing energy recovery options to divert unrecyclable waste plastics from landfill.
Plastic still contains most of the energy in the natural gas from which it was manufactured.
Recovering the waste energy reduces the consumption of new energy sources. Strategy development began when the Alberta Capital Region Waste Minimization Advisory Committee asked APRA for help to resolve the many challenges that municipalities faced with waste plastic collection and recycling, and to help them achieve their municipal landfill diversion objectives. The Advisory Committee advises the Minister of Environment on waste minimization policy. This Province-wide Strategy is designed to put plastic recycling on an economically and environmentally sustainable basis and to develop other alternatives to landfills for unrecyclable waste plastics. The Strategy was presented to Alberta municipalities and the Minister of Environment in 1997 and received their support.