Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

Waste Reduction Week
Ontario Waste Minimization Awards

(Check against delivery)

Thank you, Joanne.

I’m pleased to be here this evening.

I want to congratulate the Recycling Council of Ontario for making this event a huge success.

Along with RCO, the Waste Minimization Awards have been going strong for more than 25 years.

Congratulations to all of you for being here and for helping reduce waste in Ontario.

All of the deserved nominees this evening are helping us build a cleaner, healthier future for our province. I can’t imagine anything more important than that.

I understand that this year we have 102 nominees — the highest number ever for these awards.

This is a fine testament to how Ontario's environmental stewards are meeting the challenges of waste reduction and diversion.

You are raising the bar for others who aspire to improve their waste diversion and become better business, municipal and individual stewards.

Premier McGuinty has said the only way for Ontario "... to get green...is to go green."

We've got an ambitious environmental agenda and we are committed to taking action on all fronts — from reducing greenhouse gases and cleaning up our air, land and water, to growing the green economy.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of helping launch Waste Reduction Week along with Oscar the Grouch — and about one thousand Eco-schools students!

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

Because — as with all our environmental challenges — it’s going to take all of us working together to make a difference.

This evening I’d like to highlight some of the progress we’re making on the waste diversion front.

As we 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.

With the municipal hazardous or special waste program, we took waste diversion further while keeping household toxic wastes out of our landfills and sewers.

The waste electronics program goes even further by capturing these products from homes and businesses … and recovering valuable material that can be turned into new products.

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

I look forward to receiving a proposal in the near future.

None of this success has been easy.

As many in this room are aware there have been tough discussions on all sides, and often what was achieved was done so in a spirit of compromise.

Today we are at an important juncture in the evolution of Ontario’s approach to waste management.

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

I have asked Waste Diversion Ontario to engage industry, municipalities and the public in a robust discussion on the opportunities to strengthen the Blue Box, and I look forward to their recommendations early in the new year.

As most of you are aware, we have recently launched a full-scale review of the Waste Diversion Act.

The act has been around since 2002 and it has served us well, but we felt it was time to take another look — to see what’s working and what’s not.

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

“Zero waste” is more about a changing mindset than a specific target. It means looking at waste in new ways and seeing the opportunities inherent in materials we’re accustomed to thinking of as mere “garbage.”

A discussion paper has been posted on the Environmental Registry, so everyone here can consider some of the issues we are grappling with and provide us with your thoughts.

My ministry will also be holding focused consultation sessions to generate further discussion and input.

Please ensure your voice is heard.

A key point I want to raise here is the idea of responsibility.

Often we see government acting only when something is broken or needs fixing.

I think all of us prefer for the right thing to be done without government intervention.

The world of waste is no different.

We all have a tremendous opportunity to do the right things and ensure we effectively deal with waste by reducing, reusing and recycling.

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

In fact, we are simply building on the success that we’ve already achieved — particularly when it comes to municipal waste diversion.

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

We have done well but we still have a long way to go.

We need to shift the way we have been thinking of waste. We need to see the value of the materials and energy used to make a product … and to continue to value them after we’ve done with the product.

We need to understand that Ontario’s shifting approach presents us with great opportunities.

And we need to rethink how products are made and look for cost-saving and environmentally protective opportunities at every stage of the life cycle of a product … from design until a product is no longer useful in its present form.

I know many of you are already shifting your business practices and that’s why we’re here tonight – to applaud the efforts of those who are doing the most to forward the cause of waste reduction.

At this point, waste diversion for the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors in Ontario is running at 12 per cent.

Obviously, we need to increase diversion in this sector dramatically.

The economic benefits of increased diversion rates and the savings associated with going green need to be brought to the attention of the many businesses and companies in Ontario, who will need to adapt in the coming years.

Many of them aren't aware of the economic upside associated with increased waste diversion and recycling.

But as the green economy grows in Ontario and elsewhere, companies who have incorporated the 3Rs approach to doing business will have better access to the new markets for green solutions and technologies.

Savings can come in the way products are packaged or in how they're made or both.

Companies already in the recycling or refurbishing business or those selling their manufacturing waste to other companies will have even more financial incentive to improve their diversion rates.

There is a global marketplace now for recyclable goods and products and for those producers who adapt, these markets could provide significant revenue streams.

The other upside to all this diversion is on the community level – less waste means lower disposal costs and savings that can be used elsewhere in the community.

Strong recycling initiatives can also reduce the need for new raw materials which in turn reduces harmful greenhouse gases.

Successful waste diversion such as we can have here in Ontario provides opportunities for investment in green technologies — something we are working hard to encourage.

This is where your role is so important — we rely on innovators like you to bring your ideas to the table and have them put to good use.

Our province has always been an industrial and economic leader in Canada. I know we have the talent and the technology to take a leadership role in the new green economy … and it starts with the kind of efforts we’re honouring here today.

Once again, congratulations to the award winners — you are a true inspiration.

And congratulations to RCO for taking the initiative to continue to recognize and promote good ideas. Keep it up.

Thank you.

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