Waste strategy: most options still on the table

From the Floor – A report from Gord McKay, chair of Zero Waste Simcoe

Our fourth Steering Committee meeting focused on two topics:
A report by Stantec on the results of the recent public consultation
A summarization by Stantec of what options they are earmarking to include in our waste strategy
Throughout much of February, Stantec has been conducting a public consultation on the waste strategy, primarily through input on the web and three public meetings. While the hundreds of submissions can be interpreted in many different ways, Stantec drew a number of conclusions including:
Few were in favour of paying directly for garbage (tags) – other methods should be used
Many were in favour of increased reduction and reuse
A split decision on whether recyclable material and organics should be handled within or outside the County
While a minority were in favour, many wanted no new landfills
Committee member Rowe took some time pointing out how frustrated members of the public were with the limitations of the consultation process. The Committee agreed to hold further consultations with the First Nations communities. 
In its summarization Stantec left most options still on the table. The encouraging aspects were:
      – Emphasis was placed upon reduce and reuse
      – Stantec stated that new landfills were not being considered further.
On the discouraging side, Stantec opined that the theoretical maximum diversion that we could ever achieve over the next 20 years was a meager 76 per cent The analysis presented also implied that the provincial EPR initiative will be a failure as the volume of County waste will just keep increasing for the next 20 years. 
So where next? The Committee has apparently delayed its completion date by deciding to hold further consultations. Stantec will also write a final “Options Report” for the Committee. Hopefully when the Committee reconvenes on Monday March 29 at 9:00 am it will take the time to really debate and decide upon the options it wants.