Hazardous waste a problem needing fixed in Ontario

Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller came out with a Special Report on Ontario's Plan for Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste today providing straight talk on the need to divert hazardous household waste from landfills.

Waste can pose serious risks to the environment and to human health if not disposed of in the proper manner. While it is easy to toss it in the trash can some items shouldn't have the chance to get into landfills. Changing the way people think about hazardous waste have to be addressed. Putting the industries responsible for items that are hazardous to the environment may be the first step in changing the way this waste is dealt with. In Ontario the Blue Box program was thought strange when it was launched. Today that program is the norm, with most families not giving a second thought as they separate their recyclable waste. "The Government of Ontario deserves full credit for having the courage to show leadership on waste diversion as it is about change," Peter Hume, Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) President said in a press release. "Holding industries accountable for the waste management costs related to their products and packaging is the most practical and effective means of reducing the amount of waste we create as a society. It is greener, cheaper and safer than digging and dumping. Ontario needs to be progressive, not regressive, in its approach to the environment." With the crowded planet we live on the times of producing less waste and better waste management strategies are needed. Recycling is one answer. Another answer is to have better management of the way harmful materials are dealt with any they need to be replaced. Without a change the ones that will be holding the garbage bag will be the future generations. Ontario, with 81 landfills, is running out of space. In 1989 there were 730 landfills. Very few landfills have been approved of in the past 10 to 15 years. Even with recycling programs 80 per cent of waste is being disposed. On average Ontarians general enough waste to fill 34,000 Boeing 777 jets a year. By having the producers of electronics, tire and hazardous wastes held responsible for managing the disposal of their products less room will be needed for them in landfills. The household hazardous waste diversion program currently diverts over 20,000 tonnes annually from Ontario landfills. That is expected to increase to over 54,000 tonnes with the new product categories that came into effect on July 1st. "This issue is so critical that we are counting on all political parties to work together and support this strategy," said Hume. "Given that it takes a full generation and a willing community to build a landfill site, there are serious consequences to abandoning Ontario's waste diversion strategy."