An October 2018 report from Canada's Ecofiscal Commission found "that policy changes can make our waste systems—from product manufacturing to waste disposal—more efficient and less costly. The key to an efficient waste management system is getting incentives right and relying more on market-based policies."

"Municipalities should charge residents and businesses according to the waste they create" (pay-as-you-throw) and tipping fees should "reflect the full cost of the service for businesses."

At the same time, "governments should expand, reform, and harmonize extended producer responsibility [EPR] programs," making manufacturers accountable for managing the waste that comes from their products, and improving "the efficiency of recycling programs while also creating incentives to produce goods that generate less waste or goods that can more easily be recycled."