Newsletter 3 - Recycling Council of Ontario

Annual
Member Newsletter
January 2010
Dear Valued RCO Member,
This past year marked an important milestone for RCO and a turning point in waste and recycling policies and programs for Ontario. After three decades of leading and facilitating unfettered discussion and debate of the issues, RCO has continued its pivotal role in making Ontario
a waste reduction leader.
The environment has retained its priority status with the public and policy makers – not with a
competitive stance against healthcare and the economy – but with a unifying position linking
all three.
RCO and other stakeholders now dare to hope for more comprehensive changes
to the manner by which waste is regulated and managed. We have proposed a multi-pronged
approach that would ensure expansion of IC&I diversion programs, results-based Extended
Producer Responsibility Programs (EPR) and measures to facilitate a “polluter pays” methodology.
2009 and 2010 will surely be looked upon as transition years, sparked by the review of the
Waste Diversion Act (WDA) but augmented by broadening the scope to review the Province’s
entire waste and recycling framework, through the lens of prevention.
RCO has been central to this important change in Ontario. We continue to filter a wide variety of
queries for information and resources on waste and recycling issues from all sectors. To satisfy
this growing demand for knowledge, resources and services, RCO has responded with an
expanded waste audit and information program for the IC&I community - including an improved
Waste Minimization Awards Program that resulted in a record number nominees with diversion
achievements that surpassed their goals.
In 2009, RCO continued with its focus on the development of effective EPR policies and programs, advocating for prevention and ensuring results-based outcomes. In that regard, new
investments were made to expand our own stewardship program, Take Back the Light, which
has reached its targets well ahead of schedule.
Waste Reduction Week 2009, represented the 9th year of RCO chairing the National Coalition
of sister organizations as leader of Canada’s only waste-focused educational campaign. An
ongoing partnership with Sesame Street’s most loved, Oscar the Grouch, has built the WRW
brand into a household name, heightening awareness and leveraging the growth in participation.
With new growth in all key endeavours, RCO also looked internally to improve its oversight,
management and governance. RCO’s offices were moved to a larger location at 215 Spadina,
to maintain its collaboration with other environmental organizations at the Centre for Social Innovation. Through an active Board of Directors, RCO has also revamped its by-laws, updating
them to reflect current and future growth and most importantly, to enshrine a governance model
that reflects a multi-stakeholder membership.
Recycling Council of Ontario
(RCO)
215 Spadina Ave,
Suite 407
Toronto, ON
M5T 2C7
rco@rco.on.ca
416-657-2797
www.rco.on.ca
RCO also continued to invest in improved communications with and among the membership
through upgrades to the website, daily headline news and e-notifications on activities of importance.
2010 will be a defining year for Ontario as the province embraces the opportunity to become
a waste reduction leader. RCO is enthusiastic about sharing that opportunity and positively
influencing future outcomes.
Supporting our members and stakeholders while advocating for a greener, clearer, waste-free
Ontario is our mandate, our passion and our commitment.
We encourage all of you to become involved. Thank you to our devoted members and
supporters.
Jo-Anne St. Godard
Executive Director
2008/2009 Programs
Waste Reduction Week in Canada (WRW)
“Too Good To Waste”
Media hype was at an all time high for the 2008 WRW program, as the RCO once again demonstrated their leadership
capabilities at the helm of this national program with a surge
in public and corporate interest.
The mandate of WRW has never waivered from the 2001
inception at a national level:
(1) Education about the consequences of waste and (2) Resources to help all Canadians make the necessary
changes, large and small,
to reduce waste in their
daily lives.
The WRW program focuses on the 3Es of the
3Rs; Education, Engagement and Empowerment;
it informs and engages
Canadians about the environmental and social ramifications
of wasteful practices. The program’s educational resources
and “take action” messaging, empowers all Canadians to
adopt more environmentally conscious choices.
The time frame spanned by this annual publication gave a
new face to WRW with the arrival of Sesame Street Workshop as a partner. That strategic collaboration brought the
grumpy persona of Oscar the Grouch to the entire enterprise
and with that cherished Muppet front and centre, the campaigns took off like a rocket. The WRW Green & Grouchy
launch was followed by a Green & Grouchy Media Tour which
saw RCO’s Executive Director, Jo-Anne St. Godard trading
quips with the garrulous green shag on “Canada AM”, CBC’s
“The Hour”, CTV’s “News at Noon”, “City Pulse Live”, “Steven
& Chris” as well as radio spots on Talk 640 and CFRB and
in the numerous whistle stops across Ontario where photo
opportunities abounded. Altogether there were 40,000,000
media impressions. WRW had reached
out and touched Canadians as never
before!
In 2009, with Oscar the Grouch
firmly entrenched as the high profile
spokes-Muppet, the WRW communications campaign integrated social
media including Face Book, YouTube
and Twitter, and a new website was
built to drive participation and registration. In addition to the web-based
campaign, a second media tour with
Oscar the Grouch and a school video
contest took place during the Week. These activities contin-
ued to attract a high level of media coverage for WRW from
outlets across Canada. With social networking and public
media fully engaged, Waste Reduction Week has more than
doubled participation in the paste six years from its prime
constituent sectors: Schools, Governments and Small/Medium Business and it is expected to grow exponentially in
2010.
Ontario Waste Minimization Awards
The awards program enjoyed
new growth in 2008/2009, annually achieving ever higher levels of
participation from both applicants
and guests who have made the
gala dinner a “must attend” event
in their business calendars. The
current number of registered applicants stands at 101 (representing
a 47% increase from 2007) and is expected to rise to 110 for
the next year’s program. The growth category continues to
be Facility Management which
is understandable, given the
number of office buildings concentrated in GTA. Municipal
and Business categories have
remained constant however
there is a small differentiation
in the business grouping with
a few more organizations defining themselves as “sustainable product or service” companies. The RCO believes that this will be a future and growing
trend as business strives to be more sustainable and sensitive to the eco-sensibilities of the consumer. The RCO continues to reach out to all organizations – those with mature
functioning environmental programs as well as newcomers
who have set their goals but are in need of support and guidance in how to achieve them.
This year saw a revamping of the awards criteria that demanded rigour in the responses
provided – zeroing in on environmental management systems, management supported
recycling programs and sustainability goals for the future. The
burden of proof of disposition
was set squarely on the shoul-
ders of all applicants who were
required to provide the accurate data on their recyclable
materials.
The entire program was enhanced by new mechanics by
which companies applied and
judges evaluated. A database
format was implemented with the expertise of c-Seven Media
and for the first time, the RCO could proclaim a “paperless
process”. Walking our own talk has been great source of
pride for our organization and has made the awards process
less onerous for all concerned.
We expect to further enhance this tool in 2010 for even better performance and convenience for all stakeholders. And
of course, the presence of Oscar the Grouch in and around
the awards gala lent a light-hearted glow to the proceedings
and a thrill to those who stood agog when face to face with
their childhood icon.
Take Back the Light
The launch of Ontario’s first comprehensive mercury-containing lamp recycling program in June
of 2008 created a surge of interest that
validates RCO’s conviction that EPR
based stewardship programs are exactly
what Ontario has been needing for some
time. This ‘take back’ program based on
a green procurement, collaborative approach of manufacturers, distributors, users and recyclers has proven beyond a doubt that the formula is a winner.
Currently, eight distributors/suppliers, representing hundreds
of clients including companies like Hydro One, Menkes and
Toronto Hydro, and two contractors/retrofitters, have registered for TBTL. They are:
1.
Gerrie Electric
2.
Green Energy Dynamics
3.
Guillivan International
4.
HD Supply-Litmor
5.
Industrial Electrial Contractors
6.
Nedco
7.
Osso Electric Supply
8.
Paul Wolf
9.
Relamping Services
10.
Westburne Ruddy Electric
As of October 2009, 731,526 lamps have been recycled
through RCO’s lamp recycling initiatives, up from 131,757
lamps reported in early 2009. Table 1 (below) provides lamp
component materials that were successfully recovered and
sent for reuse in various re-manufacturing applications.
Table 1: Fluorescent Lamps Recycled
Totals
Lamp (units) Mercury (g) Glass (Kg) Metals (Kg) Phosphor (Kg)
731,526
8,486 286,758
2655
3336
All of the lamps recovered by TBTL participants were recycled to approximately 98% of their original component materials.
The original program plan for TBTL was designed to target
the Industrial, Commercial and Institution sectors however
TBTL has begun to move into the residential sector ahead of
schedule with RCO’s recent partnership with Canadian Tire
Corporation (CTC). This spring, CTC will launch the Take
Back the Light program in its Ontario retail outlets, which
will allow customers to bring back spent lamps for recycling
in CTC stores across Ontario, with the long-term goal of expanding the program across Canada.
Between its IC&I focus and the new retail effort, TBTL is
proving to be a successful program that stands to surpass
its target of 10,750,000 lamps recycled by 2012 and financial
sustainability by 2010. This unique, “made in Ontario” solution, supported by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment,
is the first of its kind for the RCO, but based on the results
that have been achieved, it may become the model for future
program development that serves the needs and goals of all
Ontarians.
Waste Diversion Certification Program (proposed)
RCO continues with its focus on expanding and improving
waste diversion in Ontario’s IC&I sector. To that end RCO
has developed a proposal, recently submitted to the MOE, to
seek support and input for the development of a waste diversion certification program targeted, but not limited to the IC&I
community. The text below is taken directly from the proposal’s Terms of Reference. Once funding is in place, RCO
anticipates launching the program in the fall of 2010.
The objective of the Program is to provide a third party solution that will address in specific ways, the serious issue
of waste generated in Ontario’s Industrial, Commercial and
Institutional (IC&I) sector. A Waste Diversion Certification
Program would be the first of its kind in the world - a program
that offers incentive and support to the IC&I community to
improve their waste reduction knowledge and activities.
The Waste Diversion Certification Program is designed to
standardize, support, educate and reward IC&I organizations that participate voluntarily in a diversion improvement
program. This program will support provincial diversion
objectives for the IC&I sector by means of peer and public recognition, while at the same time helping the MOE deploy enforcement resources more effectively. The program’s
mandate will be to support its participants by providing information and resources, tools to implement best practices and
a platform for sharing of information among practitioners at
all levels. The program will also form the basis for standardized protocols and best practices and establish channels to
gather accurate, real-time disposal and diversion data for the
sector.
2008/2009 Projects
Zerowaste Community Event Tool Kit
This web-based toolkit is designed to provide event organizers (and host municipalities) with information and resources
to minimize the amount of waste generated at community
events.
The RCO has proposed that this toolkit, specifically designed
to address solid waste, marry itself to a sister program, Aim
for Zero, launched by the Rideau Canal Festival, that address carbon footprint.
A merged “hands-on” program would be dynamic for the
province and a real boon to the hundreds of festivals and
events that take place across Ontario every year. Talks are
underway to bring the key stakeholders into an accord that
will align all the goals, needs and resources as well as funding proposals to government, foundations and the private
sector. If you know an organization that might be interested
in a funding opportunity, please contact Jo-Anne St. Godard
for details.
Construction Renovation Demolition Tool Kit
In September 2008, RCO was commissioned by the Ontario
Ministry of the Environment to support the development of a
toolkit, targeted to stakeholders involved in the Construction,
Renovation and Demolition (CRD) industry, to support improved waste diversion knowledge and activities in Ontario.
The toolkit was launched in the spring of 2009 and can be
found on MOE and RCO’s website. Below are details from
the TOR of that project.
The kit will be built from the best available and most current
information, developed to facilitate engagement and action.
Kit elements will include, but not be limited to:

Scan of global best practices in CRD community

Laymen’s interpretation of existing regulations

Basic information of the recycling industry and markets as it relates to materials typically generated from CRD
proponents

Comprehensive and current referral list of waste
and recycling service providers

Current information and “live” links to obtain recycling material markets information

Best practice service provider tendering/contracting

Best practice and sample waste audits, action plans,
reporting and measuring tools.

Peer to peer examples and referrals of best practices in the sector

Financial scenarios comparing disposal and recycling costs as it relates to the CRD sector

Referral lists for Peer to Peer reuse and recycling of
materials (materials exchange)
2008/2009 Policy Focus
RCO invests significant amount of time and resource supporting the development of effective EPR programs under
the Waste Diversion Act, through its position on Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) and through its responses to government postings on the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR).
Comment on the review Waste Diversion Act
(WDA) 2002
In October 28, 2009 the MOE released a discussion paper
that provided a summary of stakeholder feedback that gathered during the recent consultations surrounding the review
of the WDA. Through its Policy Committee, RCO submitted
formal comments to that paper, including the following specific recommendations:
Preamble:
The discussion paper offers an appropriate and necessary
framework from which to undertake the WDA review. Marrying the concepts of a cradle to cradle, end of life man-
agement approach, with the principals of EPR, elevates the
intent and spirit of the WDA to focus on prevention.
Specific recommendations:
1. MOE needs to develop a long term waste reduction strategy for the Province of Ontario that outlines other supportive
regulatory tools, alongside EPR Regulation, that would support waste diversion in Ontario.
2. The MOE needs to lead a comprehensive analysis of Ontario’s current waste stream to better inform the WDA review
within the context of other policy tools that would support
increased waste reduction
3. The MOE should not consider any thermal treatment or
land application of materials as diversion within the review
of the WDA
4. The purpose of the WDA should be restated to focus on
requiring Producers to become responsible for the end of life
management of products and/or packaging they place onto
the market.
5. Amend the WDA to require all designed stewards to be
fully responsible, physically and/or financially for the end of
life impacts and associated costs of the products and packages they sell into Ontario
6. Allow for more Individual Stewardship Programs (ISPs).
The following specific changes should be considered in support of this recommendation

Replace reference to IFO’s through the WDA and
indentify the “steward” as the producer

Designate stewards in the Program Request letters,
do not identify or require the formation of an IFO

Remove process for ISP from WDO materials

Expand all designations made under the WDA to
include products and packaging sold into Ontario’s marketplace, including residential and IC&I sectors.

The WDA must include a provision for progressive
environmental, health and safety operational standards for
each of the Waste Diversion Programs designated under the
WDA with considerable penalties for breach of those standards
WDO’s Role – Expand the role of the WDO to include data
collection and management. Refocus its role to become a
resource to ALL obligated producers (collective and/or individual approaches). Continue its role of monitoring and “first
approvals” and making recommendations for future designation and continuous improvement to the Minister.
WDO’s Governance – Transition the Board of Directors to
remove all seats to any sector that is commercially connected to the materials designated under the WDA (industry or
municipalities).
The MOE should focus its role to include Program Plans (individual and collective approaches) final approvals, program
monitoring, enforcement of non-compliance and assessment
of penalties. MOE should work with all stakeholders, including the WDO, to set future materials designations based on a
comprehensive, province-wide waste diversion plan.
2008/2009 Operations
Membership
The RCO’s diverse membership base continued to grow
throughout 2008/2009 and is not expected to slow down
moving into 2010. Retaining current members while attracting new ones has been the challenge throughout this recessionary period; the large percentage of annual membership
renewals and the ever-expanding list of new members continually attests to our success in offering services and programming of value. Our membership strategy as we move
forward must be one of continued improvement to the existing programs as well as the development of new ones. We
must also focus on improvement of the day-to-day member
benefits such as the RCO website, E-Directory, Headlines,
Special Bulletins on environmental and policy matters, and
RCO Event Registration Website (live)
http://wwwrcoawards.ca
Daily Headlines:
Highlights the Headline serves members via a daily email of
interesting and relevant news clippings with full links to the
published story across all media.
Stakeholder Queries
Communications
On a day to day basis, RCO receives inquiries from a wide
variety of interested stakeholders, looking for answers to
complex diversion questions – an excellent sign of engagement and interest in improving 3R’s activity at home and
abroad.
Websites:
Governance
generally a good ROI for membership dollar invested.
RCO continues to communicate its mandate and policy work
to members, stakeholders and the public. While there were
no upgrades to our current website during this reporting period, there were other sites developed to support programs
that the RCO is either currently running or in the process of
launching.
Take Back the Light (live)
http://www.takebackthelight.ca
Zerowaste Community Event Toolkit (not currently live)
The RCO has further taken up the task of revamping the
organizations by-laws and they can be accessed on our website at: www.rco.on.ca
Miscellaneous
The RCO remains situated at 215 Spadina Avenue, sharing
amenities under the umbrella of the Centre of Social Innovation. Our growth necessitated a move to slightly larger quarters so our new suite number is 225. The office is currently
staffed from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm Monday to Friday.