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Municipal Affairs
August 14, 2009

Household Hazardous Waste Depot to Open at Robin Hood Bay

As part of the Provincial Governments� efforts to support a modern and effective waste management system for the province, a new public drop-off facility for household hazardous waste (HHW) will open at Robin Hood Bay on Saturday, August 14. The new household hazardous waste depot will provide a convenient, safe service for the general public to dispose of hazardous materials in an environmentally-responsible manner.

"Over 70 per cent of residents in the Greater Avalon region are within the general metro area and can easily utilize the Household Hazardous Waste Depot on a regular basis," said the Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Municipal Affairs. "The efforts of the Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee in working with communities on the Avalon to close dumpsites and transport waste to Robin Hood Bay, and the City of St. John�s to strengthen waste disposal services and enhance the regional site are to be commended. Strong partnerships are vital as we move forward to strengthen waste disposal services in support of the Provincial Waste Management Strategy."

The Provincial Government has approved funding in excess of $40 million and the City of St. John�s will contribute $6.5 million for the redevelopment of Robin Hood Bay. As part of this combined investment, $2 million will support the capital cost of the Household Hazardous Waste Depot and the entire public drop-off area. The opening of the hazardous waste depot is the introductory step prior to expanding the public drop-off area in the coming months to accept a variety of residential waste. The types of waste that will be collected at the HHW depot will include household cleaners, oil-based paints, paint thinners, fertilizers, car batteries, medications, and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Items that are not accepted at the depot include ammunition, explosives, biomedical wastes, commercial wastes and fireworks.

Minister Whalen was joined by Ken Kelly, Chair, Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee; Mike Samson, Interim CEO and Chair, Multi-Material Stewardship Board; and Dennis O�Keefe, Mayor of the City of St. John�s, in introducing the facility.

"With the establishment of a permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility residents of the region have access to an improved service and a consistent option for disposal," said Mr. Kelly. "The addition of HHW disposal services moves the region closer to realizing Robin Hood Bay as the full service regional integrated waste site envisioned in the waste management strategy."

"On average, every Newfoundlander and Labradorian generates seven litres of household hazardous waste every year," said Mr. Samson. "While this may not appear to be a significant amount, it only takes a few drops of hazardous waste to contaminate our water supplies. Proper disposal of such waste through this new Household Hazardous Waste Depot provides area residents with a safe, convenient and environmentally-friendly means to dispose of these materials."

"The opening of the Household Hazardous Waste Facility is a major milestone in the city's re-development of the Robin Hood Bay landfill into a modern integrated waste management facility," said Mayor O�Keefe. "Residents of not only St. John's but the entire Eastern region can now dispose of their household hazardous waste in a convenient and safe manner."

The waste disposal site will service the entire Greater Avalon Region which includes all of the Avalon Peninsula as well as the Clarenville, Random Island and Isthmus area. As the regional site for the Avalon region, the waste management facility will include a recycling facility which will become operational in 2010, a modern landfill with regular daily cover, a leachate collection system to divert leachate from the ocean, and methane gas capture which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The system will also include a compost facility which is scheduled to become operational in 2011.

The $200 million Provincial Waste Management Strategy will introduce three full-service regional waste management facilities on the Avalon, Central and Western areas of the island portion of the province, and programs for the zones in Labrador to meet the provincial waste management goals. The provincial strategy will aim to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills in the province by 50 per cent, supported by the development of new waste diversion programs. The Greater Avalon Regional Site is expected to be operational by 2010, the Central site by 2011, and the Western Regional site no later than 2016. It is expected that full implementation of the strategy will occur by 2020.

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Media contacts:

Heather MacLean
Director of Communications
Department of Municipal Affairs
709-729-1983, 709-697-4137
heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca

 

Ken Kelly
Chair, Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee
709-579-7960
kenkelly@greateravalon.ca 
Cara Pike
Director of Communications
MMSB
709-757-3696, 689-4795
cpike@mmsb.nl.ca
Jason Sinyard - Manager of Waste Management, Robin Hood Bay
709-576-4477, 685-2435
jsinyard@stjohns.ca

 

2009 08 14                                                         9:40 a.m.
 


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