Item - 2016.PW11.2

On November 26, 2015, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (the Minister) introduced Bill 151: Waste-Free Ontario Act (the Act).  The Act intends to establish a full Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system and enable development of a circular economy to increase resource recovery and waste reduction.  The Act also includes provisions to transition from the current waste system (in which municipalities collect, process, and seek funding) to the new EPR system (in which producers collect and process at their expense).  The Minister also introduced an accompanying Strategy that establishes the goals to achieve zero waste and zero greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector in Ontario.

This report presents key aspects of the Act and identifies potential implications or changes that the Act could have on Toronto’s integrated waste management system. This report highlights areas of alignment and issues with the proposed legislation. Staff recommend that the City engage the Ministry and their appropriate officials to recommend changes to the Act and further assurances that the new system will not adversely affect current service levels. Concurrently, Solid Waste Management Services, in coordination with other City Divisions, is submitting a consolidated response on specific sections of the Act and Strategy to the Ministry’s posting on the Environmental Registry.

Also included in this report is a report back on the Minister’s response to a letter submitted by Solid Waste Management Services on June 2, 2015, regarding the potential implications of any new agreements regarding liquor, wine and beer sales in Ontario, for the Toronto’s Blue Bin recycling program.