While the City is actively working towards a circular economy, it’s not something we can do on our own. A circular economy involves those who make things, those who buy them, and those who design programs, systems, infrastructure and supply chains. It will require innovation and effective collaboration among government, industry, academia, the not-for-profit sector and the general public as well as a strategy on how to get there.
As a first step toward this strategy, the City studied the current level of circularity in Toronto through the Baselining for a Circular Toronto study. The study proposes a vision for what a circular Toronto could look like, highlights opportunities for advancing the circular economy in key sectors, and provides circular economy goals to guide Toronto’s work and indicators that could be used to measure success. The next step is the development of a Circular Economy Road Map to turn the study’s insights into actions to realize Toronto’s full circular potential.
The Circular Economy Road Map will be a 10-year strategy to support the transition to becoming the first “circular city” in Ontario.
Given the importance of partnerships and collaboration in realizing a circular economy, the City will work with residents, community organizations, and industry to help inform the development of this Road Map. This will include working to refine and expand upon the vision, goals and indicators proposed in the Baselining for a Circular Toronto study.
The public and industry surveys are now closed. Thank you for your input. To keep informed of future engagement opportunities, sign up for Circular Economy E-Updates.
The City is creating a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) to help inform the Circular Economy Road Map.
The CAC will be a panel of community members and residents who are selected through a civic lottery to provide feedback, opinions and guidance to the City on the Road Map project.
The CAC will meet virtually four times over the course of the project to review and provide feedback and input at key decision points throughout the research and development of the Circular Economy Road Map, working closely with the City’s project team and one another. CAC members are compensated with an honorarium for their contribution to the project. The input from CAC members will help ensure that the final Circular Economy Road Map is informed by the diverse lived experiences of Torontonians.
All residents of Toronto who are over the age of 18 are welcome to apply. No previous experience or subject matter knowledge is required. Applicants must answer all questions on the application form to be considered.
Applications for the CAC are now closed. Thank you for your interest. You will be notified if you are selected for the CAC.
The proposed vision for a Circular Toronto in the Baselining for a Circular Toronto study is a city with:
Achieving a Circular Toronto will require more than just analysis. The next step will be to develop a Circular Economy Road Map to turn the study’s insights into actions to realize Toronto’s full circular potential. Collaboration and partnerships between various stakeholders will be key to successful change.
As part of its journey towards a circular economy, the City has completed a research project called Baselining for a Circular Toronto. Check out the Highlights Summary Document for key findings from the study.
The Baselining for a Circular Toronto project is one of the first of its kind in Canada and explores the current state of circularity in Toronto. The study:
Baselining for a Circular Toronto engaged more than 150 key stakeholders, including City staff (from approximately 20 divisions), the public Circular Economy Working Group, other orders of government and government agencies.
The project involved three phases:
To receive information and updates related to sustainable consumption and circular economy initiatives and opportunities, subscribe to Circular Economy E-Updates.