Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

Statement to the Ontario Legislature on Waste Reduction Week,
Queen’s Park

(Check against delivery)

Mr. Speaker, October 19th to October 25th marks Waste Reduction Week.

Yesterday, with my colleague Minister Wynne, I had the pleasure of helping launch Waste Reduction Week along with its mascot Oscar the Grouch — and hundreds of enthusiastic Ontario Eco-schools students!

It was very encouraging to see so many of our young people committed to making our province greener and more sustainable.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the Blue Box program started Ontario on the road to a financially sustainable approach to waste diversion.

Industry, municipalities and consumers all shared in this success.

This past July we launched the municipal hazardous or special waste program — an important step to keep household toxic wastes out of our landfills and sewers.

Our government’s waste electronics program goes even further by capturing old computers, cell phones and other e-wastes … recovering valuable material that can be turned into new products.

We have asked for the next phases of these two programs to be developed.

We have also asked Waste Diversion Ontario for a program to effectively manage the approximately 12 million used tires generated in Ontario each year.

Mr. Speaker, we are making progress, but more must be done.

We are now working on the next steps in the evolution of waste management in Ontario.

The highly successful Blue Box program has exceeded its five-year objective and we need to consider how to best move forward.

I have asked Waste Diversion Ontario to engage industry, municipalities and the public in discussing the opportunities to strengthen the Blue Box program, and I look forward to their recommendations.

We have also recently launched a full-scale review of the Waste Diversion Act.

The act has been around since 2002.

It has served us well, but it’s time to take another look — we need to see what’s working and what’s not.

This review will take place in the context of a “zero waste” vision.

“Zero waste” is about a changing mindset — more than a specific target.

As the author Thomas Friedman says “we must eliminate the concept of waste.”

That means looking at waste in new ways and seeing the opportunities inherent in materials we’re accustomed to thinking of as “garbage.”

A discussion paper has been posted on the Environmental Registry, so everyone can consider the issues and provide feedback.

My ministry will also be holding focused consultation sessions for discussion and input.

What we're proposing is by no means revolutionary or out of reach.

In fact, we are simply building on our collective success — particularly when it comes to municipal waste diversion.

We have also seen some progress being made by industry — an area where we have the most to gain. Certainly, more can and must be done by this sector.

The theme of Waste Reduction Week says it all: “Too good to waste.”

We still need to recognize the value of the materials and energy used to make a product … and recapture that value through reuse and recycling.

And we need to rethink how products are designed … how they are packaged and what to do when they’ve outlived their original use.

Successful waste diversion also provides opportunities for innovations in green technologies — something we are working hard to encourage.

Waste recycling means new investment in processing facilities, more jobs for Ontarians and a shift towards a greener economy.

As Ontario moves towards a green economy, companies who have incorporated the 3Rs approach to doing business will be better equipped to compete in the global marketplace.

Many companies have found that, by focusing on reducing waste and reusing materials, they can reduce costs and boost their bottom line significantly.

During Waste Reduction Week — I encourage everyone to focus on the most important of the Three R’s: Reduce.

And I challenge all Ontario businesses, institutions and industries to find innovative ways to increase their diversion rates.

Our government is committed to going green and making our province more sustainable.

By working together, all of us can reduce the amount of waste we produce and build a cleaner, healthier province.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.

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