Ontario’s efforts to update its recycling policy have been marked by bumps and false starts. From the poorly orchestrated 2010 roll-out of eco-fees, to recent failures of legislative changes, the province has been repeatedly forced back to the drawing board amid intense public debate. In 2015, Ontario is preparing new legislation for recycling and waste management that will outline who is responsible for recycling in the province and who pays for it. These issues are very much alive in other provinces as well. What lessons can they provide? Until now, Ontario has relied on government-mandated industry collectives to manage recycling. Instead, Ontario should follow the lead of other provinces, notably programs in Manitoba and B.C., and make individual producers responsible for recycled products while permitting them to achieve recycling goals as they see fit.