Hub Staff

A recent discussion paper from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) entitled “Reducing Litter and Waste in Our Communities” requested the public’s feedback. Covered in the discussion paper were eight key action points recommended by the Provincial Government to support the objectives outlined in the "Preserving and Protecting our Environment for Future Generations: Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan" released in November 2018. Among the categories examined were ways to deter waste in neighbourhoods and parks and provide more opportunities for residents to reduce their waste by improving blue box programs and exploring new technologies for recycling.

As explained in the discussion paper, Ontario currently diverts 30 percent of its waste from landfill, and at this rate the landfill capacity would exceed its limits in 10 to 20 years. The paper described a target to increase landfill diversion to 50 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. Furthermore, the paper recognized landfills as a costly operation for municipalities and a contributor to greenhouse gases, and concluded that the diversion of 1,000 tonnes of waste results in the creation of seven full-time jobs.

The diversion of food waste was also examined, with 60 percent of Ontarian’s food waste currently going to landfill. Suggested avenues included a ban on food waste in landfills, expansion of the green bin programs and remoulding our food culture to be more conscious of food waste.

A recurring recommendation throughout the paper was to transition the onus of dealing with waste materials from the consumer onto the producer, citing the potential to curb waste production in many ways but largely when talking about plastic packaging materials.

In a Staff Report presented to Saugeen Shores Council April 23 by Amanda Froese, Director of Infrastructure and Development, a request was made for council to sign a letter directed to MECP to support the Province’s goals for waste reduction.

Councillor Dave Myette reminded council members that costs and operations for recycling and waste diversion in the Town of Saugeen Shores differs from larger municipalities that don’t own their own landfill. Where other cities pay to have their waste shipped to a landfill, often out of province, any diversion results in significant savings. He further explained that a municipality like Saugeen Shores with landfill space available, recycling and waste diversion becomes an expensive process.

“We need to keep in mind that all the scenarios that are envisioned in the report don’t necessarily apply to our municipality," cautioned Myette. "We may be asking for something that we don’t really need."

Councillor John Rich, a Bruce Area Solid Waste Recycling representative, reminded council that recycling is not necessarily the answer when it comes to waste reduction and tried to clarify the message he believes we need to send to the community.

“The way in which we divert waste is not by buying plastic bottles and recycling them, but by not buying plastic bottles,” stressed Rich. “We have to reduce and we have to reuse if we’re going to make a significant difference in waste reduction.”

Mayor Luke Charbonneau agreed with Councillor Myette that not everything in the document will appeal to Saugeen Shores and while they may not believe in every element covered, he concluded, “I think the overall thrust is something to the benefit of the municipality if it can be achieved and I think that any effort by the province to reduce... the amount of garbage that is heading to our landfill site is a benefit to us and something that we ought to support.”