Minister announces funding for waste management projects

Environment and Labour Minister Oliver Langdon announced today that $4 million is being made available through the Waste Management Trust Fund for projects that improve waste management, contribute to the province�s recycling efforts and support community cleanups.

Minister Langdon stated: "Given our desire to improve conditions at our landfills, the majority of funds - $3 million - will be allocated to waste management with priority being given to projects that regionalize landfill operations or support waste diversion."

In Newfoundland and Labrador there are in excess of 200 waste disposal sites. This creates tremendous challenges in terms of establishing waste management sites that meet modern standards and help support increased recycling activity.

Minister Langdon said: "For Newfoundland and Labrador to meet its waste management challenges head on, communities must come together to find regional solutions to waste management problems. We cannot continue to have hundreds of garbage dumps located throughout the province. We need fewer sites that are better managed and operated, employ modern technologies and encourage waste separation and recycling. The provincial government is willing to assist in this effort, but the process must be community driven."

The minister added that $300,000 is being allocated in the trust fund to encourage the continuation of the tremendous effort young people have made to recycling. Effective immediately and continuing to the end of the school year, the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) will match the money raised by schools. This will be done in conjunction with the school contest. This will effectively double the refund rate a school receives for every beverage container it recycles.

In addition, $250,000 has been allocated to cover the materials and equipment rental costs associated with community cleanups; $200,000 has been allocated for education activities designed to facilitate good waste management practices. $150,000 has been allocated to administer these programs and $100,000 has been allocated to assist the MMSB in reviewing other environmental stewardship initiatives.

Applications for all categories of funding will be accepted and evaluated by the MMSB on an on-going basis. With respect to regional waste management and/or waste diversion projects, priority will be given to those applications received by January 31, 2001.

Last year, government allocated $3 million to the trust fund for community-based environmental projects including cleanups, waste management, environmental education and recycling. Funding for the trust fund is made available as a result of surplus revenue generated by the deposit refund system for beverage containers.

Minister Langdon reported that 137 projects were allocated funding last year. This included approximately $1.4 million for 95 community cleanups; $707,000 for 17 waste management projects; $292,000 for eight education projects; $288,000 for 15 recycling projects; $38,000 for business development (ie. a project to investigate the use of used tires in making turf for parks and sports fields) and $20,000 for a feasibility study (ie. marketability of a solar panel). Total project expenditures, including proponent�s share, are estimated at $5 million.

"I am pleased with the success of last year�s trust fund initiative. It has enabled numerous communities throughout the province to undertake environmental initiatives and address local environmental problems," said Minister Langdon. "However, this year I felt it was important to focus attention on more long standing environmental problems. That is why I allocated $3 million to deal with waste management issues."

For now, government has decided that $4 million can be allocated to the trust fund while ensuring sufficient funds have been retained in the Beverage Container Recovery Program to ensure its sustainability.

Media contact: Sean Kelly, Communications, Environment and Labour, (709) 729-2575.

For information about these programs and the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board contact:
Karen O�Neill, Communications Officer, (709) 753-0949.

2000 10 11 2:10 p.m.