News Release Archive
ENVIRONMENT--SOLID WASTE RESOURCE STRATEGY ------------------------------------------------------------ Environment Minister Wayne Adams has unveiled a Solid Waste Resource Management Strategy for Nova Scotia that will cut in half the amount of waste going to the province's landfills by the year 2000. An added benefit of the Strategy will be the creation of an estimated 600 new jobs in the recycling, collection and environmental industries sector. The strategy will offer every Nova Scotian an opportunity to recycle, end the dumping of organic compostable materials and other recyclables in landfills, expand the deposit/refund system to cover most beverage containers, and reduce the number of landfills in operation by approximately 75%. The province made a commitment, in the new Environment Act, to divert 50% of its solid waste. "The time has come to stop throwing away our future. We are fouling the earth, and throwing away materials that can be turned into products and jobs. We are heeding the call of Nova Scotians to stop thinking of solid waste as a problem and instead recognizing it as an opportunity to do something for our environment and our economy," said Mr. Adams at a news conference held at the Lunenburg Regional Recycling and Composting Facility in Whynotts Settlement, Lunenburg County. He said the public will be now able to participate in an expanded deposit/refund system. All beverage containers, except for milk, will be included. The public will pay a deposit on all applicable containers and receive a refund equalling half the deposit upon return. The other half of the deposit will go to the Resource Recovery Fund (RRF) to assist municipalities with their diversion and recycling programs. This is similar to the program currently employed with liquor containers. All new landfills will have to meet stricter guidelines to prevent leachate and other associated problems. Beginning April 1, 1996, beverage containers, corrugated cardboard, newsprint, scrap tires, automotive batteries and all leaf and yard waste will be banned from landfill sites. A year later the ban will be expanded to include waste paint, automotive antifreeze and all compostable organic material from industrial, commercial and institutional sources. Effective April 1, 1998, steel and tin cans, glass food containers, and plastics will no longer be accepted for disposal in landfills. To ensure cost effectiveness for the taxpayer, municipal units will be encouraged to participate in regional cooperation. The province will be divided into seven solid waste management regions. The department has used municipal studies on solid waste cooperation as the guide to the establishment of the boundaries of the regions. If municipal units can provide suggestions to improve the efficiency of the regional system, the minister will consider alterations. The strategy will reduce the number of landfills in the province from the current number of 40 to between seven and 10. The open burning of solid waste will be banned effective April 1, 1996. This is three months later than originally planned in order to allow municipal units that use open burning more time to prepare alternative arrangements. However, incineration that meets the national air emission standards will be allowed; but, municipal units using waste to energy incinerators will not be allowed to use the generation of energy in factoring their 50% diversion requirements. An integral part of the strategy is the creation of jobs. In order to ensure that Nova Scotia solid waste resources are developed into Nova Scotia based jobs, the strategy includes plans for the establishment of processing facilities for recyclables. Industry studies have estimated that up to 900 jobs could be created as the result of recycling, diversion and composting. The Department of the Environment's own studies have indicated a minimum of 600 jobs as a direct result of the implementation of the strategy. "For example, Nova Scotians discard about one million tires annually. Today, they end up clogging landfills, but tomorrow they will be a source of paycheques," said the minister. The Environmental Industries and Technology Division has been working on a plan to establish a scrap tire reprocessing facility and expects to have the final details completed in the near future. The Resource Recovery Fund, a public-private, non-profit organization, will be responsible for the marketing of recyclable materials in order to ensure Nova Scotia's environmental industries have a critical mass of feedstock from domestic sources. The RRF will sign agreements with the municipalities to buy the recyclables they collect. Municipalities will be encouraged to partner with the RRF, but will be free to sell to other buyers, should they find a better financial offer. "This will ensure that the RRF gives municipalities fair value for the recyclables they collect," said Mr. Adams. The RRF will use the profits of sales of recyclables to promote diversion and recycling in its partner municipalities. The membership of the board will include representatives from industry and government. The RRF has been promoting municipal recycling and diversion efforts since its creation in 1989. "These steps are vital to the environmental, as well as economic, health of our province. They are the result of nearly two years of consultation with municipalities and the public. In effect, what we are doing is casting aside the throw-a-way mentality and replacing it with common sense. You would not throw money out the window. Then why have we for so long allowed ourselves to throw out money in garbage bags? It's not garbage, it's a resource, and its time we recognized the environmental and economic benefits of treating our province with respect," Mr. Adams said. The strategy will come into effect April 1, 1996. Copies of the Nova Scotia Solid Waste Management Strategy can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-726-5779, or in Metro, 424-2300. -30- Contact: Paul McEachern 902-424-5300 trp Nov. 07, 1995