Pilot Project for Wine Bottle Return System

The Works and Utilities Committee recommends the adoption of the following report (May3, 1999) from the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services:

Purpose:

To request approval in principle for a pilot project to recover wine bottles for reuse, operated by BottleWorks in co-operation with the City of Toronto.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no financial implications arising from this report.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)approval in principle be granted to implement a pilot project to recover wine bottles for reuse, operated by BottleWorks in co-operation with the City of Toronto; and

(2)departmental staff assist BottleWorks in designing the pilot and report further to the Works and Utilities Committee if it is deemed that funding or donations in-kind are required from the City in order to proceed with the pilot.

Council Reference/Background/History:

At its meeting of January 13, 1999, the Works and Utilities Committee directed the Works and Emergency Services Department to meet with the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), Canadian Bottle Recyclers Inc. (CBR), and r/Works to investigate the possibility of a permanent bottle collection program.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Meetings have been held with TEA, CBR and r/Works to discuss their initiative, and we are now in receipt of a proposal from them for a pilot wine bottle return system. A copy of the proposal's executive summary is appended and copies of their entire proposal are available from the Department upon request. The proposal has been submitted under the name BottleWorks, the name the proponents have chosen for their new expanded organization that will be involved in this project. The participants in BottleWorks now include TEA, r/Works, CBR, Daily Bread Food Bank, Toronto Association for Community Living, Dixon Hall, YMCA House and volunteers and professionals from the community.

BottleWorks is proposing to design and operate, in co-operation with the City, a community-based pilot collection system for refillable wine bottles. The pilot could involve community depots, collection from commercial sources such as banquet halls and restaurants, and possibly reverse vending machines at retail locations. The bottles would be collected by BottleWorks and sold to CBR who would clean the bottles and sell them to wineries for refilling. Residents would have the choice of taking their wine bottles to a depot for reuse or putting the bottles in their blue box for recycling.

BottleWorks is requesting that the pilot project be approved in principle as a joint undertaking with the City, and that technical and promotional assistance be provided by departmental staff to design and implement the pilot. Design of the pilot would include identifying depot and commercial collection locations, identifying equipment and promotional needs, preparing an operating plan, projecting costs and revenues, and pursuing sources of funding from governments and foundations supporting environmental and community development work. The fundraising would include letters of support from the Mayor and Chair of the Works and Utilities Committee.

The goal of BottleWorks is to implement the pilot project by November 1999, and to assess the pilot after one year of operation to determine the feasibility of expanding the program.

As you will note in the attached executive summary, BottleWorks mentions possible funding and donations in-kind from the City, e.g. reimbursement of one to four cents per bottle and the provision of a truck and office equipment. We have advised BottleWorks that it is premature to request authority for funding since until the pilot has been designed and issues such as costs, revenues and outside funding are clarified, it is unknown how much funding, if any, will be required from the City to implement the program.

Conclusions:

The proposal by BottleWorks for a refillable wine bottle collection program has merit. Such a program would provide residents the option of having their discarded wine bottles reused instead of recycled, which is higher in the 3Rs hierarchy, and would provide employment opportunities for the homeless and people facing long-term poverty. Therefore, we recommend that the proposed pilot project be approved in principle and that we report further to the Works and Utilities Committee if funding or donations in-kind are required from the City in order to implement the program.

Contact Name:

Tim Michael, Manager - Waste Diversion

Solid Waste Management Services, Metro Hall

Phone: (416) 392-8506; Fax: (416) 392-4754

E-mail: Tim_Michael@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca

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The Works and Utilities Committee reports, for the information of Council, having also had before it during consideration of the foregoing matter a communication (May 18, 1999) from Mr. Brian Cochrane, President, Toronto Civic Employees' Union, Local 416, advising that Local 416 supports any measure that will increase employment and reduce poverty in the City, but expressing concerns with respect to the proposal and requesting that the City not proceed any further in negotiations until the issues have been discussed with Local 416.

(A copy of the Executive Summary referred to in the foregoing report has been forwarded to all Members of Council with the agenda for the Works and Utilities Committee meeting of May19, 1999, and a copy thereof is on file in the office of the City Clerk.)