Building on positive momentum developed through the City of Barrie's Sustainable Development Strategy, PRIME advanced a Circular Economy Framework and Policy for the City of Barrie. Research on circular best practices and provincial legislation helped to identify priorities for the City, including eminent closing of the landfill, producer responsibility regulation, and opportunities for social responsibility and municipal leadership.

This project supports Ontario's Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy, which lays out Ontario's vision for a circular economy and goals of a zero-waste Ontario with zero greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector. PRIME leveraged this strategy to fundamentally challenge the way that the City of Barrie will think about waste moving forward. The City of Barrie's Circular Economy Framework is rooted in four Pillars that align with Ontario's legislation as well as the City's priorities and immediate needs. To initiate immediate action, Priority Areas were identified to build policy that the City could implement. Using best practice research from leading Canadian and international municipalities, Prime developed short-term policy for the City to act on.

The City of Barrie's transition towards a circular economy will produce multiple co-benefits. The circular economy will protect the environment by increasing waste reduction and improving resource productivity by reducing the production and accumulation of waste through multiple streams at both the corporate and community level, including food and organic and textile waste, plastics, and water and other natural resources.