|
Edition
8: March 2008
I am writing to introduce myself as the new CEO at Stewardship Ontario. I have enjoyed meeting many of you in the first few months on the job and look forward to meeting more of you in the days and weeks to come. While I realize that “In-the-Loop” traditionally has been a communication vehicle for E&E Fund news, I see this issue as an opportune moment to provide you with an update on recent developments.
As you know, with the approval of the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) Diversion Program Plan on February 19, 2008, Stewardship Ontario is now responsible for two programs, the first being the Blue Box Program Plan. While the Blue Box remains a significant component of our day-to-day work, in the next few weeks, you’ll be hearing quite a bit from us about the MHSW Plan.
First, I would like you to know that we have an implementation team of industry experts in place, and they are hard at work translating the MHSW plan into the most critical action steps that will take us to a successful launch on July 1.
As many of you know, the team leader responsible for the Municipal Channel is Mark Kurschner who is the President of Product Care. He brings to the task his experience with MHSW stewardship programs in other provinces, as well as his involvement in the MHSW plan development.
Mark and other members of the Stewardship Ontario team have met with many municipalities to date and are fielding your questions and comments on plan implementation. Mark will be communicating directly you in the next few days to explain the procedure for municipal shared responsibility agreements for those who wish to participate in the MHSW program.
At a recent municipal MHSW committee meeting, the members recommended that we hold an information meeting for municipalities to provide more opportunity for dialogue so that we can deepen everyone’s understanding of the plan, expectations and timelines.
We are happy to do this, targeting April 9 for this meeting. We will be contacting you very soon with details on how you can attend in person or via webcast. To help us set the agenda for the meeting, we would also like you to tell us what topics are most important to you at this point. An email with a link to a short questionnaire that will make it easy and convenient for you to provide your thoughts and ideas will be sent shortly.
As another conduit of information, the Stewardship Ontario website is being revised to create distinct Blue Box and MHSW sections. On the MHSW side will be a Municipal section that will be updated regularly with information pertinent to you. Stay tuned for the launch of the revised Stewardship Ontario website.
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You may send general inquires to info@stewardshipontario.ca. Or you can contact Mark directly at mkurschner@stewardshipontario.ca; 877-592-2972, ext. 201.
We welcome this opportunity to share information and hear your comments and are looking forward to a productive partnership in this environmental stewardship effort.
Sincerely,
Joyce Barretto, CEO
Over the past few months, plans have been in the works to establish a new Continuous Improvement Fund (CIF) that will replace the E&E Fund. The CIF was approved by the Board of Directors of Waste Diversion Ontario on December 13, 2007 and calls for development of a fund comprised of 20% of the annual cash contribution of Blue Box stewards to municipalities under the Waste Diversion Act and the Blue Box Program Plan. Like the E&E Fund, the CIF will provide support for projects and programs with municipalities that increase cost-effectiveness, increase diversion of Blue Box materials and/or increase the performance of residential Blue Box recycling programs. Applicants to the E&E Fund may note slight delays in decisions on project intents and applications while the implementation plan and operating procedures for the CIF are being established. We appreciate your patience during this transition, and I encourage all interested applicants to view Section 3.2, Funding Focus and Mix, of the CIF Strategic Plan. If you have any comments or questions about this or any other E&E Fund matter please just drop me a line or call! Phil Jensen: 647-777-3367
Optical sorting technology (OST) for 5 Ontario MRFs
Five Ontario MRFs have commissioned, or are in the process of installing and commissioning OST, with a combined total of $3.1 million support from the E&E Fund. Toronto’s Dufferin and Scarborough MRFs successfully installed and are now testing performance of OST for containers and fibres respectively, while in late 2007, the newly built Durham facility incorporated OST for containers. Over the next few months, Peel Region and the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) will install OST for PET (Peel) and plastic/paper (EWSWA). With OST these programs expect to improve material quality and increase sorting efficiency and overall recovery rates. View the optical sort project descriptions: PNs EWSWA (260); Peel (279); Dufferin (162); Scarborough (165), Durham (237)
Campaign in Southwestern Ontario assesses effectiveness of radio spots
A pilot project to assess the effectiveness of radio as a tool to promote increased recycling will launch in Southwestern Ontario on March 31. The project is an E&E Fund partnership between Stewardship Ontario and the sponsoring municipalities of London, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Essex-Windsor. The campaign will air in the 519 area code, with three radio commercials that have been created in the humorous vein of the Recycling Works television commercials. Written and produced by award-winning production company Pirate Radio, Terry O’Reilly’s company, they end with the call to action, “Recycling Works., the ads are a call to action, “Recycling Works. To find out more, go to blueboxmore.ca.” Following the month-long campaign, results will be assessed using tracking quantitative research. The blueboxmore.ca website was developed by Stewardship Ontario to provide easy to find information about what is and what isn’t accepted in each municipal recycling program in Ontario. View the Recycling Works radio campaign project description: PN 331
Clear Bag Pilots in Markham and Quinte
Quinte Waste Solutions (QWS) and the Town of Markham are currently testing clear bags for waste disposal as a technique to drive recyclables from the garbage stream into the blue box. The Municipality of Centre Hastings and Madoc Township, both of which are serviced by QWS, launched mandatory clear bag programs for garbage in January 2008. Markham's pilot is complete and staff members are conducting follow-up surveys to find out what residents thought. QWS is in the process of monitoring the Centre Hastings and Madoc pilot programs and will report back to Stewardship Ontario in November. The final reports for these projects will include recommendations on whether this approach might be replicable in other Ontario municipalities. QWS is also in the process of finalizing an E&E research project targeting 22 programs in Canada and the United States that operate clear bag programs. View the clear bag project descriptions: PNs Markham (285) and Quinte (177)
Unical building new glass processing facility in Greater Toronto Area
On Monday, March 3, Stewardship Ontario announced a $1.75 million grant to Unical Inc. that was made under its Market Development Investment Fund. With this funding, Unical will establish a 120,000 tonne per year glass processing plant in Brampton, with plans to begin receiving mixed glass (coloured and clear) from five partner municipalities this summer. Founding municipal partners in the initiative include the Cities of Toronto and Hamilton as well as the Regions of Peel, York and Durham, which will supply a combined annual minimum of 44,000 tonnes of mixed blue box glass to the facility. Over the first seven years of operation the partner municipalities expect to save approximately $10 million in glass processing and haulage costs. Unical Inc. is seeking material from other municipalities on similar terms to existing contracts. For more information: Stewardship Ontario News Release and/or contact Phil Jensen by email or by telephone at 647-777-3367.
Blue Box Recycler Training Strategy and Implementation program report posted
The Blue Box Recycler Training Strategy and Implementation Plan project wrapped up last December and its research-based report is now available. This study expands on recommendations of the Best Practices study which recommended training for Ontario recyclers and provides details about the format and content of training that would best meet the need of Ontario recyclers today. The report of the training study provides valuable information for readers with an interest in Ontario recycling. It offers recommendations for “core recycling training” that would be supplemented by components focused on Promotion and Education, Contract Management, Markets and Marketing, and Data Management. The study team suggests a training program that would blend e-learning, face to face workshops and online discussions. To view the project summary and report: www.stewardshipontario.ca/eefund/projects.htm#311
New, revitalized Recyclers’ Knowledge Network soon to re-launch
The Recyclers Knowledge Network website has undergone a facelift and a revitalization of content and will soon be re-launched. The new website offers a broader selection of information tools, particularly the most useful learnings from the KPMG Best Practice study, summarized into easy-to-access and read core findings and recommendations. Leading from the 8 Fundamental Best Practices, the site navigation allows visitors to turn pages to probe more deeply into chosen subject areas. Hyperlinked post-it notes offer fast and efficient movement from the best practices to community profiles and blueprints. It is the easiest, most convenient way to tap into the key points highlighted in the KPMG report.
The existing useful resources posted on the site remain but have been refreshed using the lighter, brighter format. Watch your email for an announcement that the site has been launched and is ready for you to peruse.
Event Update – Ontario Recycler Workshop planning in progress for late spring
The Ontario Recycler Workshop (ORW) that was held in Toronto in November 2007, was very well attended with more than 140 participants who took part in the ORW main workshop and the Promotion and Education and Sustainable Finance Seminars. Plans are well underway for the next ORW, which is due to take place in late May or early June. This will be a half day event that is likely to be held north of Toronto. Event invitations will be distributed by mid April.
Would you like to be added to or removed from the distribution list?
Would you like to view archived issues?
For more information on any item in this publication, please contact Phil Jensen, pjensen@stewardshipontario.ca or 647-777-3367. |
