Organics Collection in Ontario

The green bins are coming, the green bins are coming! This battle cry is helping Ontario municipalities win the war against landfill issues, but is causing some skirmishes around organics processing capacity.

Green bins are fast becoming the symbol and preferred method of organic waste collection for residents here, particularly in the southern part of Ontario. Many large municipalities, specifically in the Toronto area, are implementing a “green bin” household organics collection program to significantly reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. And it is no coincidence that many of these programs are being implemented in areas where local landfill space is scarce or does not exist at all.

Every revolution is not without consequences though. With the success of diverting organics from landfill, we are confronted with an extremely limited capacity for processing this collected material. Municipalities are considering various options from shipping organics to out-of-province facilities to scrambling to bring more capacity on-line locally. This is a big challenge since it will take time to design, build and permit these technologically-advanced facilities. (Basic windrow composting systems are not adequate to handle the volume and nature of household organic material.)

This challenge will be worth it. It will provide a unique opportunity to examine and implement new processing technologies, and possibly form new partnerships with the private sector. In the end, Ontario will be on the front line of organic waste collection and processing and, hopefully, provide valuable information for other areas pursuing household organics diversion.

Remember, if anyone is ever looking for any information on what is happening here in Ontario, feel free to contact Clayton Sampson. Email him at csampson@wdo.ca or phone at 519.539.0869.

(Source: June 2005 WasteWatch)

Update on Organics in Ontario

The Ontario government, through the Ministry of the Environment, is promoting and taking action towards a greener way of handling its waste. The province is looking at reaching a target of 70% waste diversion of materials from landfill.

Currently, the province has mandated a number of waste diversion programs - the Blue Box, Municipal Hazardous and Special Waste, Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment, and Tires - that are all designed to divert materials from landfill. However, it is known that these alone will not get the province to the 70% waste diversion target. To reach that target there will have to be concerted effort and attention devoted to managing the organic component of the waste stream.

Organics have been dealt with and handled at the municipal level for a number of years. Municipalities have been composting leaf and yard materials since the late 1980s with great success. Since 2000, Ontario municipalities have been implementing source separated organics (SSO) programs for the collection of food scraps. The City of Ottawa implemented a program last fall (2009) and the City of London is moving to implement a program in the next year or so. These were the last two "large" municipalities in Southern Ontario to go the SSO route. The thing to keep in mind with the development and implementation of the SSO programs is that there is no provincial regulation or legislation mandating municipalities to collect this material. This has come due to the need and desire of municipalities to maximize their diversion of materials from landfill.

It appears that a designated provincial program for organics is a long way off. However, the province is moving to make changes to the rules and regulations for the processing of organic materials that will make it easier for processing operations to operate. Information on what is being proposed is available by going to ebr.gov.on.ca and entering registry number 010-6658.

The lack or limited availability of organics processing facilities is one of the main hurdles in developing a provincial program for organics. The proposed changes to the rules and regulations should result in additional processing capacity being built so that SSO programs can expand and have viable and affordable options for handling the materials. This will enable to province to reach the goal of 70% waste diversion from landfill.

Remember if you are looking for any information on waste management programs in Ontario, don't hesitate to contact Clayton at csampson@wdo.ca or phone 519.539.0869.

(Source: February 2010 WasteWatch)

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