Minister's Speech

Remarks prepared for:

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

Waste Minimization Awards

October 22, 2009

Thank you, Jo-Anne.  (Minister to be introduced by Jo-Anne St. Godard, Executive Director, Recycling Council of Ontario)

I’m pleased to be here this evening. 

Once again, this event is a huge success.  I want to acknowledge the great leadership that Jo-Anne and the rest of the team at RCO continue to demonstrate in promoting waste reduction.

The Waste Reduction Week Campaign presents an important reminder that the better we do at reducing waste … the better it is for our environment, for our communities and for the bottom line. 

The nominees here tonight know this better than anyone.

You are driving change in our province by finding ways to meet the challenges of waste diversion and reduction.

Your actions to protect our environment are laying the foundation for a green economy and a more sustainable future. 

And you are providing a great example for others to become better environmental stewards.

Congratulations on all of your achievements.  You are helping build the clean, green Ontario we all want. 

Nominees and Awards

I understand that we had a record-breaking number of nominees again this year – this is great news.

I also understand that this year’s nomination process was completely paperless — congratulations to RCO on leading by example.

These awards are important because they showcase the kinds of initiatives our sustainable future depends on.

Waste reduction plays a key role in the new green economy.

How we get there is strongly connected to the successes of the people and businesses in this room — the solutions you’re developing to deal effectively with waste diversion.

Future of Waste Diversion

We’ve made significant progress on the waste diversion front in the past year and a half.

We’ve seen the launch of new programs for Municipal Hazardous or Special Wastes, e-waste, and just recently, a program for used tires, all based on extended producer responsibility. 

It’s important we all recognize the connections between waste reduction and other environmental issues, particularly climate change.

These new diversion programs, which are helping divert nearly 917,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, also helped us avoid the emissions of 2.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.

Our government is committed to taking the bold actions that are necessary to improve waste diversion and reduction. 

And we all need to be working together if we are to achieve lasting results.

Thinking about waste differently is where it all starts — linking our consumption and disposal practices not just to the waste problem, but to the multiple threats our environment is facing.

We have a responsibility to future generations to ensure that they have clean air, safe water, and healthy communities to live in.

While we have made important advances, the current waste picture in Ontario shows much more needs to be done.

Ontario’s overall waste diversion rate is stalled around 22 per cent.

Almost 80 per cent of our waste is still going to disposal — mostly in landfill.  And, the majority of that amount comes from the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sector.

The time is long-past for digging bigger holes to bury our waste. That is last century thinking, not this century.

You understand the urgency of this issue, and you are taking strong action, showing the kind of leadership that drives positive change.

We need to keep going.  And we need to do more.

The good news is it makes both environmental and economic sense.

When you make decisions to adopt green practices, you boost the bottom line, and create a culture of sustainability through a closed loop of production and consumption.  

In fact, preliminary studies indicate that our current waste diversion programs are a significant factor in driving the green economy.

In Ontario, they will create nearly 7,000 new jobs, generate $673 million in Gross Domestic Product and nearly $339 million in wages.

Smart business leaders are recognizing the cost benefits of recycling and increased waste diversion. 

Greener businesses are seeing the results.

Momentum is growing

We also know that people in our province are fully supportive of stronger actions by producers to manage their own wastes. 

Consumers are now linking their purchasing habits to their waste generation.

They are using reusable shopping bags instead of plastic. 

They are asking about the huge amount of packaging they have to deal with in their homes.

Ontarians are also asking why they can’t address waste at work the same way they do at home. 

They are willing to support change in the workplace, in fact, environmental leadership is one of the top five issues employees consider when choosing where they want to work.

We are beginning to see that change in the IC&I community. 

It’s an important and necessary change — six million tonnes of wastes disposed of in Ontario comes from this sector every year.

We need to advance to a whole new level and take a much wider view on how to tackle our wastes — not just at the back end of the process.

As leaders, I want to challenge you to think about all aspects of waste in your business and communities.  What more can you do?

What about green procurement? 

Communities and business can make significant inroads and drive change through the purchasing decisions they make every day. 

Whether you are sourcing products or services, environmental considerations can be integrated into our everyday lives and patterns of consumption.

Waste Diversion Act Review

This is a critical juncture. 

The Waste Diversion Act is currently under review and we are looking to achieve greater waste diversion in Ontario and capitalize on the resulting environmental and economic benefits.

We need to develop a framework that supports waste reduction while driving good environmental outcomes.

That framework needs to be broadened to include more focus in the IC&I sector and supporting measures that provide more resources to generators and drive investment in diversion. 

We need a strategy that allows us to push the boundaries.  We must move diversion rates upwards by promoting broader responsibility, overall transparency and accountability.

This kind of strategy will help prevent waste and conserve valuable resources.

Increased recycling helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and avoid toxics and other pollutants entering our environment. 

While re-manufacturing materials into new products will help drive economic investment and create new green jobs.

Conclusion

Now, more than ever, we need everyone working to create a future with healthier, sustainable practices and a higher quality of life for all Ontarians.

The successes in waste diversion we’re honouring tonight are contributing to this kind of future, one that places our province at the forefront of innovation.

Again, congratulations to all the nominees – your achievements mean so much.

And thank you to RCO for supporting and recognizing these achievements. 

Together, we’re rising to the challenge and helping make waste a thing of the past.

Thank you.

-30-

Back to Speeches