News Releases
Government Home Search Sitemap Contact Us  


Municipal Affairs
December 6, 2010
 

New Robin Hood Bay Recycling Facility Supports Eastern Region
in Waste Diversion Efforts

Communities across the eastern region of Newfoundland and Labrador will benefit from modern and environmentally-sound waste management, thanks to an investment from the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador through the Gas Tax Fund and the City of St. John�s.  

On behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador, the Honourable Fabian Manning, Senator for Newfoundland and Labrador, was joined by Paul Davis, Legislative Assistant on behalf of the Honourable Kevin O�Brien, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; His Worship Dennis O�Keefe, Mayor of St. John�s; and, Ken Kelly, Chair, Eastern Waste Management Committee, today to officially open the new Materials Recovery (recycling) Facility at the Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility.

�The Government of Canada's Gas Tax Fund supports environmentally-sustainable municipal infrastructure that contributes to cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions,� said Senator Manning. �As part of the redevelopment of the Robin Hood Bay waste management site, this new recycling facility will play an important role in the region�s long-term waste disposal plan.�

�The materials recovery facility will service communities from the eastern region in supporting recycling and waste diversion, and the disposal of waste in a more environmentally-responsible manner,� said Minister O�Brien. �We are pleased to avail of the Gas Tax funding to support the redevelopment of Robin Hood Bay. The new facility is another great step towards advancing the Provincial Waste Management Strategy, and the goal to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills by 50 per cent by 2015, and to also modernize the way that we think about and dispose of waste. This is an important investment to promote recycling and the opportunity for all residents in the region to support recycling efforts.�

"The City of St. John's curbside recycling program began the first day the Materials Recovery Facility was in operation at Robin Hood Bay," said Mayor Dennis O'Keefe. "From the beginning residents of St. John's have shown support for the curbside recycling program and to date have successfully diverted more than 500 tonnes (1 million pounds) of recyclables from the landfill. I encourage other communities in the eastern region to take advantage of this new infrastructure and develop their own recycling programs in order to divert waste from the landfill."

�The Materials Recovery Facility is critical as we transition into a more environmentally sustainable waste management system,� said Ken Kelly, Chair, Eastern Waste Management Committee.  �It is our responsibility to take advantage of this new capacity for recycling and participate in the protection of our environment.�

The Materials Recovery Facility receives and processes recyclable materials including paper and container products from communities as far west as Clarenville and sends those materials to recycling markets where they will be turned into new products. Towns which currently use the facility include Conception Bay South, Mount Pearl, Logy Bay Middle Cove /Outer Cove, Pouch Cove, Paradise, and St. John�s.

The recycling facility is part of a greater redevelopment initiative at the Robin Hood Bay Waste Management site that supports the implementation of a provincial solid waste management strategy in the region. The site will provide full service waste management, including the materials recovery facility, a residential drop-off, a household hazardous waste facility, a sanitary landfill, and a future composting facility.  Services will support residents in St. John�s and the entire eastern region of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The overall cost for the re-engineering of Robin Hood Bay to an integrated waste management facility is $53.2 million with $40.2 million coming from the federal Gas Tax Fund. The province provided $6.5 million and the City of St. John�s contributed $6.5 million towards this project.

The Gas Tax Fund provides support for infrastructure investments and capacity-building efforts to help local governments to achieve and maintain long-term sustainability.  SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1As of April 2009, the federal Gas Tax Fund has been increased to $2 billion per year. From 2007 to 2014, Newfoundland and Labrador will receive more than $187.2 million in federal support for infrastructure under the federal Gas Tax Fund. The Government of Canada has announced that the Gas Tax Fund would become a permanent measure at $2 billion per year after 2014.

For more information on federal infrastructure investments, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca.

For more information on the Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility, including the Recycling Facility, visit www.curbitstjohns.ca

- 30 - 

Media contacts:

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

 

John Babcock
Press Secretary
Office of Canada�s Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700
 

Shelley Pardy
Waste Diversion Communications
City of St. John�s
Department of Public Works & Parks
709-576-4510

 

Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148 or
Toll-free 1-877-250-7154

 

2010 12 06                                                        10:10 a.m.
                   


SearchHomeBack to GovernmentContact Us


All material copyright the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. No unauthorized copying or redeployment permitted. The Government assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of any material deployed on an unauthorized server.
Disclaimer/Copyright/Privacy Statement