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
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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.
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