Waste Management Advisory Committee. Niagara Region Headquarters Building 2201 St. David s Road, Thorold, Committee Room #4

Transcription

1 Waste Management Advisory Committee Niagara Region Headquarters Building 2201 St. David s Road, Thorold, Committee Room #4 Tuesday, September 22, 2015, 7 pm 9 pm Meeting Minutes WMAC Members Present: Ms. Holly Washuta (Chair) Mr. Albert Witteveen Mr. Gavin Coman Mr. Rocco Di Matteo Mr. Mark Griffiths Mr. Vincent (Jim) Pignataro Mr. Abrar Baig Dr. John Bacher Niagara Region Waste Management Services Staff Present: Ms. Lydia Torbicki, Manager of Policy & Planning, Waste Management Services Ms. Emily Hughes, Administrative Assistant, Waste Management Services Regrets: Mr. Mike Balsom Mr. Dean Cruikshank Mr. Gregg Furtney Guests: Ms. Carol Jones 1. Introductions 2. Approval of Agenda Motion: To approve the Septermber 22, 2015 meeting agenda. Moved by: Albert Witteveen Seconded by: John Bacher Carried. 3. Presentation a) Overview of Waste Management Services Staff provided an overview of the presentation. Highlights included; WMAC Mandate Waste Management Key Service Areas residential & commercial curbside waste, recycling and organics, diversion programs/initiatives, policy development & capital program delivery and education, outreach & enforcement.

2 Base Collection Services Residential, Multi-Residential, Mixed-Use Properties (Designated Business Areas), and Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (IC&I) Enhanced Collection Services Blue and Grey Box Processing Organics Processing Diversion Programs and Initiatives HHW days, E-Day, community presentations Waste Disposal Operations and Engineering Major Waste Management Projects Underway Members had several questions/comments and there was a discussion on the importance of diversion program education and communication. A member asked if Waste Management staff visit schools in the Niagara Region. Staff responded that as part of the Waste Management social marketing and education plan, presentations are provided to schools and there is also an environmental curriculum that was developed by the Outreach Coordinator. Staff will provide the member with information (see staff directions). A member asked if diverted tonnages are increasing each year. Staff responded that there is an overall increase with more residents and businesses participating in programs; however, there has been a bit of a recent plateau likely due to a change in the type of material being manufactured and diverted (i.e. lighter weight packaging) and a decrease in the consumption of newspapers and magazines. A member asked how many tonnages are processed per day at the Recycling Centre - staff to provide this information (see staff directions). A member asked if the 65% diversion rate by 2020 was too aggressive of a goal given the changes in recycling material composition and if changes in demographics will affect diversion. Staff responded that an aging population, as well as social-economic demographics, have an impact on purchasing and consumption patterns and program participation. There are also the waste reduction efforts at the household level and reuse initiatives that are difficult to measure and are not included in the current diversion rate calculation. An example of a waste reduction program that could reduce the tonnages diverted in the Region s system is the Southern Ontario Food Collaborative. It is expected that the Province will develop a new diversion rate methodology to deal with the limitations in the current diversion rate formula. Members agreed on the importance of waste reduction and discussed the benefits of the Region s Water Wagon program which encourages use of refillable, reusable water bottles. A member stressed that the program should be better promoted given the positive environmental impact and avoidance of single use water bottles.

3 A member asked that the 2014 tonnages and diversion rate be provided along with a comparison to previous years (see staff directions). Another member asked why the diversion rate went up 9% (from 42% in 2010 to 51% in 2011). Staff responded that Waste Management completed a service level review in order to identify program changes that would increase the diversion rate and be offered as part of the new collection contract which started in early With the input from WMAC, results of broader public engagement and final Committee/Council approval, some of the key changes included: reduction in garbage limits to one container per household, weekly collection of both Grey and Blue Boxes, the expansion of the Green Bin program and increase in the cost of garbage tags from $1/tag to $2/tag to reflect full cot recovery. 4. Business Arising from Previous Minutes a) New construction resale store New Age Construction Essentials New re-use store is located at 5106 King Street, Beamsville. A member provided an overview of the store and noted that there are many examples of community reduction and reuse that occur outside the Region s waste management programs which unfortunately are not captured in the residential diversion rate. 5. Items for Consideration a) Suggestions for 2016 Waste Collection Guide Staff distributed 2015 Waste Collection Guide to Committee for suggestions on upcoming 2016 issue. Members are asked to provide any additional feedback by ing Cheryl Crawley (cheryl.crawley@niagararegion.ca) by October 7th. Members made the following suggestions: There is too much information provided in the guide - keep the most critical information most visible e.g. the list of materials (acceptable/ unacceptable) for the Grey/Blue Box recycling, organics and other programs. Include just the information that residents need to refer to most frequently and they can go to the Regional website for the other program information. More white space is needed reduce the amount of colour and content as it is visually overwhelming. Eliminate the section on how Regional taxes are used this is not appropriate content for the guide. The guide should be kept more fulsome since it provides lots of practical information and the key page that needs to be posted by the household is perforated so the other pages can be easily removed and recycled. Ensure information on the proper disposal of compact fluorescent bulbs is

4 included. A member asked how many copies of the Collection Guide are printed. Staff responded that approximately 190,000 copies are printed each year. Another member asked what the cost was to print and mail out the Collection Guide staff to provide this information (see staff directions). 6. Items for Information a) WMPSC Presentation New Waste Reduction and Resource Recovery Framework Legislation Overview of AMO Discussion Paper b) WMPSC-C Memo An Overview of the Current Funding Framework for Diversion Programs c) WMPSC-C Ontario Compost Quality Standards d) WMPSC-C Memo Illegal Dumping Working Group Update A member asked about the status of the input that WMAC had provided to the Illegal Dumping Working Group specifically on the use of cameras. Staff responded that there was a memo response provided to WMAC earlier in the year which noted some concerns with the use of cameras in illegal dumping hot spots. Staff will provide a copy of the memo to the committee member (see staff directions). e) Humberstone Landfill Environmental Assessment Notice of Submission f) Region Recognized for Outstanding Waste Management Activities g) PWC-C Waste Management 2013 Benchmarking Report h) PW Southern Ontario Food Collaborative A member asked for more information on the Southern Ontario Food Collaborative. Staff provided a brief overview of the report. Niagara Region Waste Management and Public Health staff have been meeting with other municipalities and stakeholders (see Appendix II of report PW for full listing) to share information and discuss how to promote food waste reduction. A report will be going back to WMPSC with a project update later in A member made a comment that it would be nice to see leadership from the province on this initiative. There was discussion on the initiative and support for a campaign to increase public awareness of the value of food and to reduce the amount of food waste

5 generated through the full life cycle. i) PW Report on Alternative Waste Management Technologies Project Next Steps j) MHSW Depot Verbal Update Staff noted that a tender is being issued for the operation of the 2 new depots at Thorold Public Works Yard and the Humberstone landfill site in Welland plus the partial depot at Bridge Street landfill site in Fort Erie. The depots will open in late 2015/Q k) Staff Directions Update l) WMAC Meeting Minutes April 21, 2015 (Approved Via ) Motion: To receive Items for Information. Moved by: John Bacher Seconded by: Rocco Di Matteo Carried. 7. Other Business a) Letters of Thanks to Resigned Members of WMAC Past members received letters of thanks which recognized their contributions to the Committee. b) Updated List with New Members A member requested that an updated list of members be distributed. Staff will provide this list (see staff directions). 8. Next Meeting: Tentatively set for November 17, 2017, Niagara Region Headquarters Building, 2201 St. David s Rd., Thorold, Committee Room #4. will be sent to members to determine if there is interest in holding the next meeting at the Recycling Centre during the day (to see processing operations) and alternative dates will be provided. 9. Adjournment Motion: To adjourn. Moved by: John Bacher Seconded by: Albert Witteveen Carried.

6 Staff Directions 1. Staff to provide interested member with information on Waste Management presentations offered in schools. 2. Staff to report back on the tonnages processed each day at the Region s Recycling Centre. 3. Staff to provide the 2014 tonnages and residential diversion rate and comparison to previous years. 4. Staff to provide the cost of printing and mailing out the Collection Guide. 5. Staff to provide interested member with the memo, which was previously distributed to WMAC and has a response related to use of cameras in illegal dumping hot spots. 6. Staff to provide an updated list of committee members and addresses.