Stewardship Programs in Ontario Canada The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Vivian De Giovanni Executive Director Municipal Waste Association Guelph Ontario Canada
Municipal Waste Association Non profit organization formed in 1987 facilitates sharing of municipal waste reduction and recycling information and experience coordinates specialized workshops and seminars produces reports, manuals and other documents on specific waste management and waste diversion topics of interest to municipalities Represents over 95% of the municipalities in Ontario with recycling programs
Geographic Context
Ontario 94% of the population lives in southern ON That leaves 6% of the population living on 86% of the land in the northern part of the Province
Blue Box Program 1981 piloted in Kitchener ON 1984 launched in Mississauga ON 1989 one million boxes in use 1989 Ontario s BB program was the recipient of the UN s Environmental Award 2010 a routine part of our lives
Stewardship Programs in ON Blue Box Program Plan The Beer Store Ontario Tire Stewardship Ontario Electronic Stewardship Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste Fluorescent Lamp ISP Mercury-Containing Thermostats ISP Background How the Program Operates What is Working What Isn t & Why
Waste Diversion Act Legislation in 2002 Statutorily mandated review started in 2008 Oct. 2008: Discussion Paper: Toward a Zero Waste Future Explored the effectiveness of Ontario s waste diversion framework Consultation with stakeholders and public across the province Oct. 2009: Minister s Report: From Waste to Worth Results of the review and proposed changes to Ontario s framework Similar consultation with stakeholders and public across the province
WDA Proposed a results-based waste diversion framework that includes the following key areas of change: Make individual producers responsible Clarify what activities count toward meeting requirements Require more waste to be diverted Clearly define roles and responsibilities Adopt supporting measures to drive diversion Transition of existing programs to new framework
Waste Diversion Ontario WDO is a permanent non-crown corporation created under the Waste Diversion Act, 2002 that was established to develop, implement and operate waste diversion programs for a wide range of materials WDO is comprised of representatives from industry, municipal & commercial sectors & the environmental community.
How Waste Diversion Programs are Developed Minister issues correspondence to Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) designating a material WDO working cooperatively with stewards, develops a diversion program WDO must be satisfied that the plan will achieve objectives WDO approves the written plan before sending back to the Minister
Waste Diversion Programs Brand owners (manufacturers) and importers of products that become designated are called stewards They can join together to establish an industry funding organization (IFO) IFOs are responsible for developing, operating and funding the programs WDO incorporates the IFO ISPs are also considered
Blue Box Program Plan August 2009: Minister directed WDO to revise Blue Box program plan and provide recommendations on issues of consistent collection and problem materials February 2010: WDO submitted recommendations on consistent collection and problem materials April 30, 2010: WDO submitted revised plan to Minister Minister currently considering revised program plan, WDO s recommendations, and stakeholder feedback obtained through the WDA review consultations
Blue Box Program Plan Municipalities Determine program scope Define diversion strategy Deliver/contract services Stewardship Ontario Develops Program Plan Funds 50% of costs Develops material markets Jointly Direct investments to system improvement
The Beer Store 2009-2010 marked The Beer Store s (TBS) 83rd consecutive year of collecting and recycling empty beer containers 2009-2010 also marked the end of the third year of the Ontario Deposit Return Program (ODRP) In its third year of operation the ODRP saw its collection rate increase by four percentage points from 73% to 77%. The TBS reuse and recycling program for beer containers achieved a 95% recovery rate in 2009-2010, a one percentage point increase from 2008-2009.
September 1, 2009: program launched to promote the reuse and recycling of all used tires in Ontario, and clean up existing tire stockpiles within the first three years Year one diversion targets: 91% on road and 14% off-road Program offers financial incentives to help drive diversion results, including to: collectors (e.g. retailers, municipal landfills, etc.); haulers; processors/recyclers; and, manufacturers of recycled products First 8 months diversion results: 72,651 tonnes on road 12,508 tonnes off road
Tires The Minister s Program Request Letter gave direction to OTS to address the diversion of all motor vehicle tires including off the road OTR tires, industry and farm vehicle tires that are supplied into the Ontario Market. Some exclusions: tires on or for toys, bicycles, personal mobility devices and commercial aircraft
OTS Plan Design Reverse the economics of scrap tire management from a lowest-cost driver to a higher-value driver model Offer market-clearing prices for collection, transportation, processing and manufacturing of scrap tires and tire-derived products (TDPs) Pay for efficiency and performance
Who Are the Players Collector - most common role for a Municipality/Region A for-profit, not-for-profit, or municipal corporation that has entered into an agreement with OTS for the collection of designated used tires. (Generators are a subset of Collectors) Hauler A business that transports scrap tires to a registered Scrap Tire Processor or other approved end use. Processor A business that processes scrap tires into streams that can be further processed in order to recover specific components for use or sale in specified diversion end-uses. Recycled Product Manufacturers A business that uses TDP s in the manufacture of finished goods (e.g. molded products)
Where is OTS Now Program can be divided roughly into 3 Deliverable Segments: 1. Short-term Ensure 100% of Ontario s divert-able tires are diverted (i.e. not sent for fuel or land filling 2. Medium-term Work with the scrap-tire recycling industry to develop Ontario processing capacity to be able to manage 100% of the province s scrap tires 3. Long-term Work to develop economically and environmentally sustainable markets to be able to consume 100% of the tire-derived products produced by the Ontario tire recycling industry
Program Challenges Hauler/Processor relationships Claims filing and payments processes have taken time to refine, resulting in extended timelines Claim filing lag impacts OTS s ability to access real-time data on market conditions Ontario Processor capacity Stockpiles
OTS R&D Program still needs to be fully developed, but will focus on: 1. Activities that will lead to the expansion of existing markets for TDPs 2. Activities that will open-up new markets for TDPs 3. Research to expand uses for scrap tires and TDPs 4. Research to support marketing of TDPs as beneficial and preferential materials (e.g. GHG & LCA research)
Recycled Tire Applications
Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) April 1, 2010: Revised (Phase 1 and 2) program began Expanded materials covered to include a total of 44 product types (e.g. computers, televisions, printers, phones, cameras, and audiovisual equipment, etc) February 2010: OES undertook a 3-month consultation with stakeholders to improve the program and proposed the following changes for WDO s approval: Modifications to the RFP process for processing OES collected WEEE Introduction of incentive programs for processors, reuse and refurbishment organizations that are approved under the program
Designated Materials Phase 1 Desktop & portable computers Computer peripherals Monitors Televisions Printing devices Phase 2 Modems Copiers, scanners, typewriters Phones (land & cell) PDA s and pagers Audio & video players Cameras Radios Receivers, speakers, tuners, turntables Video players/projectors/recorders Personal hand held computers
Ontario Electronic Stewardship High awareness & motivation for e-waste recycling 82% of Ontarians have electronics that are not in use or not working significant pool of latent e-waste for collection 7 in 10 Ontarians know that e-waste should be handled in specific ways due to potential chemicals, pollutants or because of excess waste in landfill 51% of Ontarians have taken waste electronics to a municipal drop-off event or depot up from 39% in 2009 Municipalities are most trusted by Ontarians Ontarians trust municipalities more than other collectors in handling electronic waste 81% of Ontarians prefer a year-round recycling facility or designated drop-off site over event-based collections
Who Are the Players Collectors Permanent depots Event days Transporters & Consolidators Collect WEEE Receive and sort Reuse & Refurbishers Repair shops Second hand retailers Recyclers & Processors Must be approved
Collection of WEEE Responding to collector needs in 2010 42% increase in collection incentive for mixed ewaste new Roll-off Program for municipalities & events curbside handheld electronics collection pilot with City of Toronto consultation on Material Flow Arrangements new processing incentives to encourage processors to actively source more material
Promotion & Education
Province-wide P&E Flexible Collection Systems Province-wide PR Campaign 220 billboards across Ontario online advertising on geo-targeted sites & social networks print advertising in community newspapers & targeted magazines poster ads in all Beer Store locations
WEEE Challenges WEEE program has achieved less than 40% of the recycling target in first year Allocation system called anti-competitive by processors Difficult material tracking system Ensuring set recycling standards Insufficient financial incentives
Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste July 2008: Phase 1 of the MHSW program began July 1, 2010: Expanded program (Phase 2 and 3) began July 20, 2010: Minister initiated a 90-day review 90-day review
MHSW Categories Flammables Auto additives Mercury devices Pharmaceuticals Sharps & Syringes Reactives More batteries Fluorescent tubes Aerosols Corrosives Fire extinguishers Leachates Toxics
How the Program Works Industry stewards of designated products take financial responsibility Stewards register with SO, report data and pay their share Stewardship fees cover common costs and material-specific costs Municipalities, etc. paid to operate program Voluntary participation of the public
Brief History of MHSW July 1, 2008 Phase 1 smooth program rollout July 1, 2010 Phase 2 referred to as the ecofee fiasco July 20, 2010 Minister announces a 90 day review period to develop a new system
The Current MHSW Program Step in the Right Direction The program will keep more hazardous materials out of our environment The program will put the cost of managing MHSW where it belongs on producers The program will provide much-needed information
Possible Program Improvements Stewards should finance all waste management costs, including the costs of disposing those products not captured by the program Stewards fees should differ based on the endof-life costs of responsibly managing an individual product s waste
Fluorescent Bulb Take Back Program - ISP Program start date May 31, 2010 All bulbs returned to Canadian Tire stores All lamps recycled at an approved fluorescent lamp reclamation facility
Switch the Stat - ISP Program operated by the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) with the support of the Cdn Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) A residential and commercial collection program for mercury-containing thermostats
Great Refrigerator Round-Up Operated through ON Power Authority Full size fridges and freezers (10-27 cu. ft.) Working condition 15 yrs. of age or older Also take secondary appliances (window air conditioners and dehumidifiers)
Stewardship Programs in Ontario Canada Vivian De Giovanni Executive Director Municipal Waste Association vivian@municipalwaste.ca