The City’s Long-term Waste Management Strategy (Waste Strategy) is a roadmap that guides the City’s actions to reduce the amount of waste requiring management and includes recommendations about how to get there. Today, the City is delivering on a number of those recommendations through the implementation of various programs that support waste reduction, reuse and the move towards an aspirational zero-waste future.
To help foster a culture of waste reduction, sharing, repairing and reuse, the City is implementing five Community Reduce & Reuse Programs. Together, the programs will help to build sustainable communities and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.
These programs support the Waste Strategy by:
On June 9, 2021, City Council approved the Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy – Stage 1 report to help reduce single-use and takeaway items in Toronto.
The Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy – Stage 2 staff report was approved by City Council on December 15, 2023.
City Council adopted the Update and Action Plan on the Single-Use and Takeaway Items Reduction Strategy, including the Circular Food Innovators Fund with amendments including the adoption of a new Single-Use and Takeaway Items By-law, which took effect March 1, 2024.
The Waste Wizard is an online waste sorting tool that provides information on how to properly dispose of over 2,500 different items.
The TOwaste app provides residents with access to their collection schedule, the Waste Wizard sorting tool and Drop-Off Depot and donation locations from their phone or tablet.
The Waste Wizard and TOwaste app were recommended as part of the Waste Strategy to support the City’s waste reduction, reuse and waste diversion goals. The Waste Strategy aims to provide a user-friendly waste management system, enhanced information and public education tools.
The 3Rs Ambassador Program engages volunteers in apartments, condos and co-ops to help promote the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle). Ambassadors can tailor waste reduction programs to suit their building and other residents.
The 3Rs Ambassador Program is one of many programs that support the Waste Strategy by helping the City increase waste diversion and reduce recycling contamination in multi-residential buildings.
The City has partnered with the National Zero Waste Council, other Canadian cities and major food retailers on a national effort to reduce food waste.
The campaign is called Love Food Hate Waste. and supports the Waste Strategy’s recommendation to create a food waste reduction strategy that focuses on information and outreach programs to educate residents about the economic, environmental and social benefits of food waste reduction.