STAFF REPORT

To: Works Committee

From: Barry H. Gutteridge , Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

Subject:Update on Waste Diversion Organization

Purpose:

To update Works Committee on the program of the Waste Diversion Organization (WDO).

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

There are no financial implications arising from this report.

Recommendations:

That this report be received for information.

Background:

At its meeting on December 1, 1999, the Works Committee had before it a report (dated November 16, 1999) providing information on the newly formed WDO and the funding that will be available from the WDO for municipal Blue Box programs and other waste diversion initiatives.

The Works Committee requested the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services to investigate how the City of Toronto can best be involved in the Waste Diversion Organization and that a bi-monthly report on activities be submitted, starting in January 2000.

Discussion:

As discussed in the November 16, 1999 report, the WDO is a multi-sectoral organization with a one year mandate to provide short term industry funding to municipal recycling, organics and household hazardous waste (HHW) programs, and to provide the Minister of the Environment with options for long term industry funding of recycling and HHW programs.

The WDO's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to which the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is a signatory, sets out the purpose and mandate of the WDO in more detail. The MOU is attached to this report for reference.

The WDO has now established a Board of Directors and a set of Committees and Task Groups to accomplish its mandate. The WDO Board of Directors is comprised of the following individuals:

Waste Diversion Organization Board of Directors
Mr. Andrew Brandt	Chair & Chief Executive	LCBO
Mr. Terry Cassidy	Councillor	City of Quinte West
Mr. Garry Davis	President & CEO	Amcor PET Packaging
Mr. Tony Eames	President & CEO	Coca-Cola Ltd.
Mr. Peter Elwood	President	Lipton
Mr. Bill McEwan	President & CMO	The Great Atlantic & Pacific Company of Canada Limited
Mr. John Hanson	Executive Director	Recycling Council of Ontario
Mr. John Honderich	Publisher	The Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd.
Mr. Ron Hoare	Vice Chair & CEO	Para Paints
Mr. John Jardine	City Engineer & Commissioner, Environmental Services	City of London
Ms. Joan King	Councillor	City of Toronto
Mr. Partington	Barrister and Solicitor	Regional Municipality of Niagara
Observers
Mr. Stien Lal	Deputy Minister	Ministry of The Environment
Mr. Damian Bassett	CEO	Waste Diversion Organization

 The Board has set up three committees to address the various commitments set out in the MOU:

(1)Funding and Regulations Committee

(2)Programs Committee

(3)Communications Committee

Within the Programs Committee, three Task Groups have been established:

(1)Organics Waste Diversion

(2)Household Special (i.e. Hazardous) Waste Management and Depots

(3)Sustainable Recycling

The WDO Board and each Committee and Task Group is co-chaired by an industry representative and a municipal representative. Councillor Joan King is Co-chair of the WDO Board as well as Co-chair of the Funding and Regulations Committee. AMO has also appointed senior municipal staff from across Ontario to the Committees and Task Groups. Angelos Bacopoulos, General Manager, SWM Services, is Co-chair of the Sustainable Recycling Task Group, and senior SWM staff from Toronto are participating on the Funding and Regulations Committee and the three Programs Committee Task Groups.

The Minister of the Environment has set aggressive reporting deadlines for the WDO. The specific deadlines are as follows:

1.WDO submits report containing principles to guide long-term recycling program funding formula to Minister	April 2000
2.WDO submits working draft of the long-term recycling program funding report to Minister	June 2000
3.WDO submits final long-term recycling program funding report to Minister	September 2000
4.WDO submits report describing activities/effectiveness to Minister	December 2000 / January 2001
5.WDO submits audit report to Minister	December 2000 / January 2001

The Household Special Waste funding report may be included with any one of the above reports. We also understand there will be broad-based consultation on the WDO's recommendations before they go to the Minister.

In our November 16, 1999 report, we indicated that approximately $4 million in funding, beyond the LCBO funding which had already been committed, would be available for Ontario municipalities. On February 10, 2000, the WDO Board was advised that previously committed Corporations Supporting Recycling (CSR) project and partnership funding totalling $1.2 million is to be part of the $4 million funding package.

Previously committed CSR (and CSR member) funding for the City of Toronto totals approximately $290,000.00, broken down as follows:

Apartment Recycling Pilot Projects $115K

(Etobicoke Blue Bag Pilot and Regent Park Project)

Test of Three Compartment Shupak Collection Truck$ 65K

Minpro Glass Processing Pilot$ 10K

Roving Recycler OMG Media Bin Promotion$100K

Total:$290K

The clear challenge for the municipal representatives on the WDO will be to ensure that the final recommendations reflect the spirit of the MOU, which is to establish a long term industry funding formula for municipal recycling programs based on an equitable sharing of net program costs.

Conclusions:

The WDO is now operational and has been given specific reporting deadlines. Senior staff from Toronto are participating on the various Committees and Task Groups and we will continue to update Works Committee on a regular basis.

 Contact:

Andrew Pollock

Director, Policy and Planning

Solid Waste Management Services

Tel: (416) 392-4715

Fax: (416) 392-4754

E-mail: apolloc@toronto.ca

   Angelos Bacopoulos

General Manager

Solid Waste Management Services

      Barry H. Gutteridge

Commissioner

Works and Emergency Services

CAP:RS

List of Attachment:

(1)Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

(wdo.doc)