land is a terrible thing to waste. An Ontario primer for managing waste. Let’s start with our own and yet we still generate a tonne backyard. for every person in the province. Clearly, we must take action as let’s put waste disposal and the responsible stewards of our protection of our land into terms province. And fortunately, we are. we can understand. The 3Rs. Think about a typical middle Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. class suburb. Now, visualize each homeowner there burying a tonne of There are three easy ways to garbage in the backyard each year. reduce the burden on our land. Or maybe imagine each home doing First, we must generate as little it over just a few years, because waste as possible. Second, we that’s about all the time it would must think of ways to extend the take to fill each yard to capacity. life of items we use. Third, we must do as much as we can to Fact is, we annually produce 13 recycle the waste we create. When million tonnes of waste and we’ve done all we can, we must garbage in Ontario. To put that then dispose of what’s left in the into perspective, imagine having to most environmentally friendly way find places to put 120 CN Towers we know how. every year. The government and people of So what are we doing with all Ontario are taking action on waste this waste? disposal. As of 2005, we now annually divert more than 3.3 Well, to date we have relied mostly million tonnes of waste through on landfills both within and the 3Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle. beyond our own borders. Waste Our progress is the result of 30 disposal is a contentious issue, years of concerted effort. To put the 13 million tonnes of waste we create into perspective, imagine having to find places to put 120 CN Towers every year. – 2 – We are now annually diverting more than 3.3 million tonnes of waste through the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. Striving to do more. amount of material that goes into commercial packaging. We have introduced many tough regulations on what can be By encouraging business and disposed of and how. We have industry to reduce materials used in standards on how to build landfills packaging, we promote responsible safely as well as strict rules for the industrial practices for the long term. disposal of hazardous waste. Deposit return. In Ontario, industries that produce recyclable material pay for half The province’s Bag it Back the costs of municipal Blue Box deposit return program for wine recycling programs. And we’re and spirit containers will improve adding new items to the list of our recycling rate for glass and things that must be recycled, will free up room in Blue Boxes including household hazardous for new materials. waste like paint and batteries. It will keep 80 million containers Strategies involving industry. out of landfills each year and turn them into new high-end Ontario is working with business products like bottles, tile glazes to explore ways to reduce the and fleece. – 4 – Ontarians have embraced recycling as a way to reduce waste through the Blue Box, a program that started in Ontario in 1981. What you can do. Though our reuse and recycling rate keeps going up, our work is It’s heartening to know that far from over. Ontarians have embraced recycling as a way to reduce waste through More territory to explore. the Blue Box, a program that started in Ontario in 1981. Today, There’s more to learn about the it serves millions of households 3Rs, waste management and the across the province. role all Ontarians play in smart land use. It demonstrates the essential role each of us plays in protecting our natural environment through For more about waste disposal go to simple, practical day-to-day www.ene.gov.on.ca/land.htm#landfill and www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/ activities and choices at home and news/2006/083101.htm at work. For more about landfills go to www.ene.gov.on.ca/land.htm#landfill From sorting recyclables and For more about Blue Box recycling programs go to www.ene.gov.on.ca/ composting, to the disposal envision/news/2005/010402mb.htm of toxic substances in the household For more about the Blue Box go to www. and industrial products we use, stewardshipontario.ca/who/bbhistory.htm we all have the power to do more Environment Infoline 1–800–565–4923 and know more. – 5 – Reduce. Reduce, the first pillar of the 3Rs, is all about waste prevention. It means consuming and throwing away less by purchasing durable, long-lasting goods. It means buying products and packaging that minimize toxic materials or are largely free of them. It also means using longer lasting products and redesigning products requiring less raw material in production. Reuse. Reuse, the second pillar, is just what it says. We curb waste by repairing possessions, by adapting them to new purposes and by passing them on to others including charities and community groups. Reusing products is even better than recycling because items don’t need to be reprocessed before they can be used again. Recycle. Recycle, the third pillar, is about keeping items that don’t belong in the garbage bin and rerouting them to a new life. Rather than being just waste, material such as glass, metal, plastics, and paper become valuable as they are sent to facilities that can process them into new materials or products for sale. When, in turn, we buy and use the recycled products, like the paper this brochure is printed on, we are being doubly responsible. Environment Infoline 1–800–565–4923 www.ontario.ca/environment This publication was printed on 100 % recycled paper using biodegradable ink. © 2007, Queen’s Printer for Ontario. PIBS 6160e, 4/18 1m.