The Ontario government has made the controversial eco fee a municipal responsibility, dumping the cost of recycling hazardous materials on city officials.
The fee pays for the recycling of household materials such as batteries, mercury lightbulbs and fertilizers.
The eco free first appeared on thousands of household products in July 2010. After widespread backlash from consumers, the Ontario government stepped in and said it would cover the cost.
The government quietly transferred the fees to municipalities last September, so cities have had to cover the $2-million annual cost for 10 months, the Recycling Council of Ontario said.
Critics say the move shows that the provincial government is failing to fulfil its environmental duties.
“Instead of actually dealing with waste aversion and dealing with what we have to do to make producers responsible for the products, the Liberals are just dumping the cost onto cities,” said NDP environment critic Peter Tabuns.
Environment Minister Glen Murray says the goal is to ultimately have the eco fee costs covered by the manufacturers of hazardous materials.
But for now, municipalities will have to foot the bill.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss
Note: An earlier version of this article stated that the fees transfer would take place July 1, 2015. It also erroneously stated that the fees apply to electronics, but electronics fall under a different category, and consumers are still billed for the service.
