The Toxics Reduction Act aims to protect the health of people and the environment by reducing the use and emission of toxic substances. It also aims to foster innovations in green chemistry and green engineering to make manufacturing and mineral processing safer. The act also supports the development of alternative products and processes.
The act is the cornerstone of Ontario's Toxics Reduction Strategy, which is focused on:
- managing and reducing the use and creation of toxic substances in order to protect the environment and human health
- informing the public about toxics in their communities
- helping ensure that Ontario is well-positioned to compete in an the emerging green global economy.
This strategy supplements the traditional 'end of pipe' approach to managing toxic substances released into the environment by focusing on reducing the creation and use of these substances at the 'front end' of manufacturing processes.
The act requires regulated facilities to:
- track and quantify the toxic substances that they use and create
- develop plans to reduce the use and creation of these substances
- make summaries of their plans available to the public.
