Too much of Ontario's waste is going to landfill: enviro watchdog

"Ontario has a waste problem; every year, Ontario produces nearly one tonne of waste per person and three-quarters of this ends up in landfills:" Environmental Commissioner Diane Saxe.

Thestar.com
Oct. 4, 2017
By Robert Benzie

The old adage may be "waste not, want not," but Ontario's environmental watchdog warns the province's waste diversion efforts are wanting.

"Ontario has a waste problem; every year, Ontario produces nearly one tonne of waste per person and three-quarters of this ends up in landfills," Environmental Commissioner Diane Saxe said Wednesday.

Much of that can, and should, be diverted, said Saxe, who noted that far too much food waste and other organic material is ending up in landfills, releasing pollutants (such as) methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change."

Environment Minister Chris Ballard said the government is willing to consider a ban on dumping food waste in landfill sites.

"Looking at banning organic waste in landfills is one option that we're looking at," Ballard told reporters.

"We're going to continue, as we have all along, consulting and working with municipalities," he said.

Ballard conceded more can be done.

"Despite our reputation as a green leader, we agree with the environmental commissioner that improvements are necessary to enhance existing programs and reduce the total waste going to landfill," the minister said.

"We are taking action to make that a reality.

"The new Waste-Free Ontario Framework represents that next step forward; our goal is to preserve resources and recover valuable materials from waste currently lost to landfill."

Ballard said Queen's Park is working with stakeholder groups to develop a new "food-and-organic-waste framework for Ontario."

"The framework will include regulatory and non-regulatory tools and actions," he said. Ballard added that a draft will be ready later this fall and will the government will start implementing it next spring.

Saxe said the problem must be addressed soon.

"Food waste should be used as a source of renewable energy and a way to repair damaged soils," she said, as she released a 77-page report, entitled "Beyond the Blue Box: Ontario's Fresh Start on Waste Diversion and the Circular Economy."

The environmental commissioner said businesses, such as factories, restaurants, shopping malls, and property developers, and schools, hospitals and universities, are generating far more waste than they should.

They only recycle 15 per cent of their waste and send 6.7 million tonnes to landfill sites each year.

That's 2.2 million tonnes more waste sent to landfill than residents are responsible for.

Part of the problem is that businesses and institutions are able to get away with a "use-once-throw-away" mentality, she said.

But consumers are also to blame by purchasing cheap disposable goods, not more durable items.

"The biggest thing is to buy things, use them a long time, instead of buying lots of things and throwing them out," said Saxe.

"Buying for durability and buying good-quality stuff that lasts is the single most important thing that individuals can do (to reduce waste to landfills.)"