June 29, 1998
To:Works and Utilities Committee
From:A. Bacopoulos
General Manager - Solid Waste Management Services
Subject:Removal of Coloured Glass From the Blue Box Program
Purpose:
To provide Committee with information on the impact of removing coloured glass from the Blue Box Program.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
The removal of coloured glass containers (other than liquor and wine bottles) from the Blue Box program would result
in a net saving of approximately $580,000 per year and an increase in garbage costs of approximately $110,000, for a net
benefit of approximately $470,000 per year.
Recommendations:
That this report be received for information.
Council Reference/Background/History:
At its meeting on June 17, 1998 the Works and Utilities Committee requested the Commissioner of Works &
Emergency Services to submit a report to the next meeting of the Committee on:
- removing coloured glass from the Blue Box program, and how such policy could be incorporated into a
communications program; and
- methods of improving collection of all materials at curbside.
Discussion and Justification:
Removal of Coloured Glass from Blue Box
The tonnage of coloured glass currently collected in the Blue Box Program is approximately 15,000 tonnes per year. It
is estimated that liquor and wine containers constitute 80 percent of the total coloured glass tonnage, with the remaining
20 percent made up of a variety of food and beverage containers.
In 1997, 4695 tonnes of coloured glass were sold to Consumers Glass at a net price of $23.00 per tonne after
transportation. The remainder of coloured glass collected was marketed as mixed broken glass at a net cost of $5.00 per
tonne.
Consumers Glass recently announced that their price for coloured glass has been reduced to $24.25 per tonne, or $14.25
per tonne after our transportation costs.
Staff have projected that the implementation of a deposit return system for liquor and wine containers would remove
95% of these containers from the Blue Box Program. It is estimated that a Communications campaign advising residents
that all coloured glass is no longer accepted in the Blue Box Program would shift 60% or 2,200 tonnes per year, of the
remaining coloured glass containers from the Blue Box Program to the garbage collection system. The amount of
coloured glass left in the Blue Box system would therefore be 1,400 tonnes per year (5% of liquor and wine containers
and 40% of other containers).
As reported previously to Council, the estimated annual savings resulting from a deposit return system for liquor and
wine containers would be approximately $750,000 from the Blue Box Program and approximately $250,000 from the
garbage collection and disposal system.
Instructing residents to remove other food and beverage coloured glass containers from the Blue Box and place them in
the garbage is projected to reduce Blue Box collection and processing costs by approximately $420,000 per year and
potentially increase glass revenue by approximately $160,000 per year, for a total annual benefit of approximately
$580,000 per year. This would be offset by a projected increase in garbage collection and disposal costs of
approximately $110,000 per year. Therefore the net annual benefit would be approximately $470,000 per year.
The reason glass revenue potentially increases when coloured glass is removed is that it may allow mixed broken glass
to be marketed as clear glass to Consumers Glass Ltd. at a net revenue of $39.00 per tonne (after transportation) rather
than used as aggregate construction material at a $5 per tonne cost.
The communications program to instruct residents not to place coloured glass in their Blue Boxes could be incorporated
into the campaign on liquor and wine containers at minimal additional cost.
Once again, we advise Committee that such a communications campaign would likely be in contravention of Ministry
of Environment Regulation 101/94.
Methods of Improving Collection of All Materials
This issue is part of a larger solid waste management service review that is currently underway. It is proposed that we
report back later in 1998 once the service review is complete.
Conclusions:
Instructing Toronto residents to place all coloured glass containers (other that liquor and wine containers) in the garbage
rather than in the Blue Box could result in a net annual benefit of approximately $470,000.
Contact Name:
Andrew Pollock
Sr. Manager - Waste Diversion & Planning
Solid Waste Management Division
Metro Hall
Phone: (416) 392-4715
Fax: (416) 392-4754
E-mail: Andy_Pollock@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca
A. Bacopoulos
General Manager
Solid Waste Management Services
Barry H. Gutteridge
Commissioner
Works & Emergency Services
