Amendments Support Waste to Energy

Nova Scotia is allowing new solutions to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills.

The province has amended its solid waste regulations to allow thermal treatment facilities to accept banned materials, such as plastic, cardboard and newsprint, and use them to create energy.

According to a waste audit done in 2017 by Divert Nova Scotia, 43 per cent of the garbage being sent to landfills is banned material that could have been composted or recycled. The changes also clarify that the province considers energy recovery as waste diversion.

Recyclable materials will still be banned from landfills and waste-to-energy facilities will still need all required environmental assessment and industrial approvals.

“Nova Scotians are national leaders in waste diversion, but there is still more we can do to keep waste out of our landfills,” said Environment Minister Margaret Miller.

“We want Nova Scotians to continue to recycle and compost, but we also need to ensure we’re doing all we can to reduce our footprint. This will give new businesses the chance to create something useful from waste destined for landfills.”

Nova Scotians send an average of 404 kilograms of waste per person to landfills each year. The national average is 688 kilograms.