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Home > Resources > ICI Waste > Municipal tools for ICI

Municipal Tools for ICI Waste Reduction

Any municipality looking to divert materials from landfill in a significant way has to pay attention to the two-thirds of the waste stream that come from the ICI sector. Here are a few tools, arranged from nasty to nice, that communities can use to encourage (force) businesses and institutions to reduce their waste:

  • Nastiest: Ban materials from landfill. If there are alternatives available, refuse to accept the material. For example, we know that cardboard makes up more than half of commercial (retail) waste. If you have options for cardboard recycling in your community, you can refuse to accept cardboard in your landfill. The Town of Outlook banned cardboard several years ago and has one of the highest diversion rates in the province. Other materials to consider banning: newsprint and other papers (if you have a recycling program); computers, TVs, tires, beverage containers (provincial programs exist for all of these in Sask.); yard materials (if you have a composting program).
  • Less Nasty: Consider higher tipping fees for loads containing recyclable materials (as long as there are recycling programs). Saskatoon's waste bylaw is structured this way. It specifies double the tipping fee for loads with more than 10% recyclable materials. Higher tipping fees without banning the material means businesses can choose to pay more if they don't want to separate out their recyclables (and you can use the extra money for more waste reduction programs). (Note: if you don't have a tipping fee, consider starting to charge one. Landfilling isn't free and new landfills are especially not free.)
  • Nice: Educate, educate, educate. Work with the businesses and institutions in your community to identify ways that they can reduce waste, start recycling, etc. Provide information on waste reduction options to businesses in your utility bills or in business publications. Give presentations to local business groups and get them talking about recycling. The nice way is much more time consuming, though friendlier, than the others.

(Source: August 2009 WasteWatch)

 

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