Municipal Affairs
Environment and Conservation
February 16, 2009

Ministers Congratulate Winterton on Incinerator Closure

The Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Municipal Affairs, and the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation, today congratulated the Town of Winterton on the recent closure of its incinerator.

"We were pleased to work with the Town of Winterton to facilitate this closure," said Minister Whalen. "This announcement brings us one step closer to realizing full modern waste management in Newfoundland and Labrador."

In August, 2008, the Department of Municipal Affairs announced $70,000 in funding to decommission the Winterton incinerator. The incinerator, which served 2600 area residents, burned approximately 1800 tonnes of waste annually.

Minister Johnson, also the MHA for the area of Trinity - Bay De Verde, expressed her pleasure at this latest accomplishment in the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy.

"I am very pleased that there is one less incinerator operating in this province today," said Minister Johnson. "I applaud the residents of Winterton for their commitment to more environmentally-responsible waste management practices."

Ken Kelly, Chair of the Greater Avalon Waste Management Committee, agreed that this is a step in the right direction for the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy.

"Every time an incinerator closes, it advances the strategy on the Greater Avalon," said Mr. Kelly. "Our committee will continue to work with communities and the Provincial Government to find environmentally responsible solutions to incinerators."

- 30 -

Media contacts:

Melony O�Neill
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca 
Jennifer Collingwood
Director of Communications
Department of Municipal Affairs
709-729-1983, 690-2498
JenniferCollingwood@gov.nl.ca 

BACKGROUNDER

Conical Incinerators:

In January 2004, the Minister of Environment and Conservation signed a Canada-wide Standard for Dioxins and Furans from Conical Waste Incinerators committing nationally to phase out their use.

Conical incinerators are commonly referred to as �teepee� incinerators and at the time of the signing, there were 52 such incinerators in the province. To start the process of phasing them out, the Department wrote all incinerator operators advising them that the use of their incinerator would not be permitted beyond December 31, 2008.

Shortly before this deadline, many municipalities expressed their concern about their ability to shut down their incinerator with no viable waste disposal alternative in place. In response to these concerns, in October 2008, Government announced that communities could receive a 6-month extension (June 2009) if it was required to allow them time to complete site assessments to identify viable alternatives.

Government officials continue to work with communities to find these alternative solutions and have provided funding so that towns may engage professional consultants to help them do so. Today, 29 incinerators have closed and 23 remain.

The Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy:

In May 2007, the Provincial Government announced implementation of the $200-million Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy, with a goal for full implementation by 2020. The strategy calls for full-service regional waste management facilities in three areas, Avalon, Central and Western, of the island portion of the province and programs that will be developed for the zones in Labrador to meet the provincial waste management goals. The provincial strategy aims to reduce the amount of garbage going into landfills in the province by 50 per cent. This strategy is supported by the use of disposal bans, the development of new infrastructure to facilitate the implementation of broadly based recycling activities at the regional level and an aggressive public education campaign to focus attention on reducing the amount of waste generated in the first instance.

At the time of implementation, there were over 240 waste disposal sites in operation throughout the province and today there are fewer than 200. Open burning has been reduced � and even eliminated on the Greater Avalon � and regional waste management committees and boards have been established in most regions.

The Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy is led by a partnership of government departments, the MMSB, regional boards / committees and municipalities.

The Department of Municipal Affairs is responsible for the strategy�s implementation and capital funding. The province has committed $200 million to cover 100 per cent of the capital costs for the infrastructure needed by municipalities to implement the new regional waste management systems.

The Department of Environment and Conservation is the author of the strategy and is responsible for overall policy and setting environmental standards and regulations governing waste management.

The Department of Government Services is responsible for inspection of waste management sites, enforcement of environmental standards and facilitation of site closures.

The Multi-Materials Stewardship Board is a Crown agency that is responsible on a province-wide basis for recycling specific waste streams that pose particular environmental or other challenges and which do not lend themselves to proper management at the local level. The MMSB is also responsible for providing start-up planning and organizational development support to the 15 regional waste management authorities that will enable them to implement modern waste management systems throughout the province. The MMSB has also been mandated to develop and implement province-wide public education and awareness initiatives to promote more environmentally progressive waste management practices, with a particular focus on waste reduction themes.

Regional boards / committees are responsible for the planning, design, implementation and operation of comprehensive new waste management systems throughout the province.

Municipalities are responsible for all operating and maintenance costs associated with waste management, which is similar to any municipal service. This includes waste diversion and curbside recycling costs.

2009 02 16                                                      11:05 a.m.
 


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