Smile/Epic St Malo to close recycling plant

After more than 32 years, Smile of St Malo/Epic de St Malo will be closing its recycling plant due to proposed changes regarding recycling in the province.

In recent posts on Facebook, Smile/Epic informed the public that its recycling program would end March 31 and that the closure had to with proposed changes to the recycling system brought on by Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba Inc. (MSMM), a non-profit, industry-funded organization, made up of businesses such as grocers, retailers, and companies that produce package and printed paper products (PPP).

For 15 years, MMSM has been providing funding and support for residential recycling of PPP materials in 148 communities. MMSM does not deal directly with organizations such as Smile/Epic St Malo, but with municipal governments.

The Carillon and Derksen Printers, which are owned by the FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership, are a part of the MMSM.

Smile/Epic is a non-profit organization that provides vocational skills development for people with intellectual disabilities. As part of its day program, individuals would sort and prepare for shipment recyclables at its recycling depot, which was re-built in 2018 to keep up with demand.

Smile/Epic declined to be interviewed about the end of its recycling program.

MMSM director of marketing and communications Michelle Pereira said she doesn’t know why Smile/Epic would be closing due MMSM changes. She said the only changes happening in regards to recycling is MMSM’s draft submission to transition into a full extended producer responsibility (full EPR) system, which means that producers will become responsible for the end-of-life management (recycling) of PPP materials in Manitoba rather than the current model of municipalities and MMSM sharing the responsibility. Pereira said the move will increase recycling rates within the province because there is standardization and it will keep PPP products out of the landfill.

“It’s with the province now for approval, so nothing has come about that yet,” said Pereira. The plan was submitted to the government in August 2025.

The plan, which was revised based on consultations with the ministerial advisory committee and the department of environment and climate change, is in response to several ministerial request letters sent to MMSM between July 2018 to January 2025.

“It’s a four-year transition, so year one, once we get approval from the province, there’s a year of continued planning to roll it out, and then in the second year is when the first communities will transition,” said Pereira.

The transition to full EPR will take place in six phases over four years. The full EPR model will see transitioned communities moving immediately from quarterly funding payments of up to 80 percent for processed recycled materials, to a new contract that could see payments going to 100 percent should the full EPR be approved by the ministry of environment and climate change.

According to last year’s annual report, MMSM paid out $17.4 million in funding and had collected more than 74.8 million kilograms of PPP, which works out to 58.7 kg per person, in Manitoba. In the eastern region, it reported 4.7 million kilograms of recyclable materials were picked up, averaging 45.6 kg per person; contrasting that with De Salaberry where 51,415 kg of recyclables were collected, or 13.1 kg per person.

Should a community opt out of the partnership with MMSM, then the organization will take over the responsibility for recycling in that municipality.

The communities that opt in to the EPR will be grouped into catchments. They will be given a per household rate based on regional and program factors and monetary top-ups for promotion and education. The rate will be driven by the market rate for recycled goods. Depot collection payments will be on a per tonne basis.

“This is a worldwide change, so we’re one of the last provinces to change in Canada,” said Pereira.

The RM did not confirm if it was working with MMSM for its recycling, but Cure said recyclables are picked up by the municipality and shipped to Winnipeg’s Green For Life Environmental Services facility about twice a month.

The move by Smile/Epic to stop recycling will have no effect on De Salaberry residents as the RM will continue to collect recyclables, something it has been doing for more than a decade.

For rural residents who might have used Smile/Epic’s depot, Cure said council will discuss whether to place a container for those recyclables in the RM’s landfill.

“So, council’s going to be going into budget discussions here shortly and planning for the next year. These are probably things that we’re going to be talking about in the next month or so,” he said.

Smile/Epic is one of two recycling depots to close in the Southeast in recent years.

In 2022, the RM of Hanover’s Eastman Recycling depot (which served the municipalities of Steinbach, La Broquerie, Ste Anne, and Hanover) closed its doors after 29-years in operation. Its operator, enVision Community Living, saw the recycling industry moving into an automated approach and closed down the facility.