This blog is part of our series outlining what we see as some of the key environmental issues voters should keep in mind as they talk to candidates and when they cast their ballots.
Ontario’s election is an opportunity for all candidates to put the environment – and preventing waste and litter – on their agendas.
Last year, work to implement a program that would eliminate billions of plastic containers from landing in dumps, incinerators, waterways and the natural environment across Ontario was abandoned. Deposit-return programs are known across Canada and around the world as the best way to ensure empties get recycled or refilled – instead of littered or wasted, but opposition from big grocery retailers has stalled progress on deposit return. Ontario must get back to work to expand the successful program for alcohol containers to non-alcoholic beverages.
It’s time for all parties to commit to reducing the amount of waste going to landfills, incinerators and litter. Get an expanded deposit return program back on track in Ontario so that we can join almost every other province in Canada to ensure empties end up where they belong – and out of the environment. Ontario also needs better rules and accountability for business, and low-carbon processing of organic waste.
What the next Ontario government must do to expand deposit return and reduce waste
When the federal government tackled plastic pollution, some provinces – including Ontario – claimed the federal government was stepping on their toes. However, Canada’s most populous province has done virtually nothing to prevent plastic from entering the waste stream and the environment at record rates. Instead of whining about successful federal measures, such as bans on harmful single-use plastics, the next government must take immediate steps to rein in plastic and other waste.
Concretely, here’s what the next government must do:
- Expand deposit return to include all non-alcoholic beverage containers as soon as possible by building on the existing successful program for alcoholic beverage containers and ensuring accessible return points for empties. This will take empties out of the waste stream and prevent litter.
- Require businesses to sort their waste to ensure that organics are composted instead of being shipped to landfills or incinerators and that recyclable materials – including glass, metal, paperboard and paper – are sent for environmentally-sound processing to be made into new materials.
- Extend the life of existing landfills by banning organics from them and ensure food waste, yard waste and other organic materials are processed into safe soil amendment instead of being landfilled or burned. This will help reduce the impact of organic waste, which generates climate-warming emissions in landfills and incinerators.
Waste has grown out of control in Ontario, opening the door to dangerous garbage-burning strategies that would saddle Ontario communities with harmful pollution.
We need better. We need to tell all party leaders and candidates that Ontario needs to cut the waste and protect the environment.
