DEFEATED - “Shrinkflation” Causing Waste Increase

Date:

November 2024

Expiry Date:

December 2027

Current Status:

Archived

Sponsors:

Yellowhead County

District:

3 – Pembina River

Year:

2024

Convention:

Fall

Category:

Environment

Status:

Archived

Vote Results:

Defeated

Preamble:

WHEREAS the governments of Canada and Alberta have repeatedly stated support for waste reduction and the “reduce, reuse, recycle and recover” strategy; and

WHEREAS the manufacturing and retail industries in Canada and Alberta are reducing the size or quantity of their products to increase the price of these goods surreptitiously; and

WHEREAS this practice, commonly referred to as “shrinkflation,” will inevitably cause a proportional increase in the volume of waste entering municipal landfills as consumers will be forced to purchase increased volumes of goods to maintain the same volume of products they intend to consume; and

WHEREAS the cost of developing and building new landfills and/or opening new cells in existing landfills has risen exponentially over the last decade; and

WHEREAS all levels of government have worked diligently to reduce the amount of waste material entering municipal landfills to address environmental, quality of life and cost issues; and

WHEREAS shrinkflation will inevitably offset the efforts of all levels of government to reduce the flow of waste materials into landfills and will increase costs due to additional recycling processes; and

WHEREAS shrinkflation is unnecessary because the manufacturing and retail industries can increase their prices as they see fit;

Operative Clause:

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Rural Municipalities of Alberta advocate for the governments of Alberta and Canada to pass legislation restricting or eliminating the practice of “shrinkflation” by the manufacturing and retail industries.

Member Background:

Over the past few years, the retail industry practice of reducing the quantity of products without increasing the price, commonly referred to as “shrinkflation,” has become more prevalent. Consumers are noticing this practice more and more and consider it an unethical and dishonest method of increasing consumer costs.

Consumers have also become aware of the increased waste streams created by this practice as they pay for the collection of their waste and face an increased cost for waste removal from their homes. Additionally, municipalities face an increased cost in trucking waste to landfills, filling and packing landfill cells, and the inevitable creation of new landfill cells or even completely new landfill operations as existing landfills become full.

Shrinkflation accelerates filling landfills and increases handling and transportation costs with the additional cost passed on to the municipality and consumer. Shrinkflation has no socially redeemable qualities and is entirely unnecessary, as the same outcome can be achieved through a price increase on existing products.

RMA Background:

RMA has no active resolutions directly related to this issue.

Government Response:
None reported.

Development:

None reported.

Provincial Ministries:

None reported.

Provincial Boards and Organizations:

None reported.
Federal Ministries and Bodies:
None reported.

Internal Notes:

None reported.