MMSB Provides Funding for Waste Management Initiatives in the Greater Avalon

Environment and Conservation
Municipal Affairs
April 3, 2009
MMSB Provides Funding for Waste Management Initiatives in the Greater Avalon

The Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee has received $400,000 to support the ongoing development and implementation of their waste management plan for the area. The funding comes from the Newfoundland and Labrador Waste Management Trust Fund that is administered by the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB).

The Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Environment and Conservation, said the investments made by the MMSB from the trust fund will help the Greater Avalon continue to move forward with their waste management efforts. The funding also plays an important role in achieving a more modern and environmentally responsible approach to waste management throughout the province.

"The trust fund supports progressive waste management practices in Newfoundland and Labrador and, in doing so, plays an important role in ensuring the environmental sustainability of our province," said Minister Johnson. "The Greater Avalon Regional Committee is committed to implementing a new modern approach to handling waste that is in keeping with the goals of the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy. We are pleased to support the efforts of the Greater Avalon Regional Committee through MMSB�s Waste Management Trust Fund."

"Regional co-operation is critical to the success of the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy," said the Honourable Dianne Whalen, Minister of Municipal Affairs. "The Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee plays a significant role in working with municipalities throughout the area to build community support for the regionalization of waste management for the Greater Avalon."

The funds are being provided over a two-year period to help the committee continue to advance their new regional waste management plan to the implementation stage. The target date established in the Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy for full implementation of the new Avalon regional waste management system is 2010.

"This investment represents foundational support for the work plan of the committee. It will facilitate key aspects of our program such as committee support and resources to support individual municipalities to implement the objectives outlined in the PWMS," said Ken Kelly, Chair of the Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee. "We look forward to continued support from MMSB, as we develop an action plan for solid waste management in the Greater Avalon Region."

Mike Samson, MMSB interim Chair and CEO, said that MMSB is pleased to be able to help regional waste management committees advance their agendas and meet their long-term waste management goals. "We will continue to make strategic investments through the trust fund, and we will continue to work with regional waste management committees and other stakeholders around the province in our efforts to develop a cost-effective and environmentally responsible waste management system for the province as a whole," said Mr. Samson.

MMSB is a provincial Crown agency that reports to the Minister of Environment and Conservation. Its mandate is to support progressive waste management practices in the province, with a particular focus on waste diversion, recycling and public education, in order to ensure a clean and healthy environment throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Media contacts:

Melony O�Neill Director of Communications Department of Environment and Conservation 709-729-2575, 689-0928 moneill@gov.nl.ca	Cara Pike Director of Marketing and Communications MMSB 709-757-3696 cpike@mmsb.nl.ca
Susanne Hillier Director of Communications Department of Municipal Affairs 709-729-1983, 690-2498 SusanneHiller@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER
The Newfoundland and Labrador Waste Management Trust Fund

In 1997, the Provincial Government established the Newfoundland and Labrador Waste Management Trust Fund. The trust fund provides financial assistance to aid in the development and implementation of waste management initiatives in the province. It is governed by provincial waste management regulations and is administered by the MMSB under direction of the Minister of Environment and Conservation. The principal source of funds for the trust fund is surplus revenues from the province�s Used Beverage Container Recycling Program.

In its early years, the trust fund financed a wide variety of waste management initiatives, ranging from local education and information projects, community cleanups, school recycling programs, pilot projects on waste diversion, and municipal studies to investigate the practicality of regional approaches to managing waste in a more environmentally responsible manner.

Activities that MMSB will continue to support through the trust fund include:

Strategic support for the start-up planning and organizational development needs of the 15 regional waste management authorities;

Development of comprehensive long-term waste management plans in each of the 15 regions;

Financing of demonstration or pilot projects for innovative waste diversion initiatives that have potential application throughout the province;

Public education and waste reduction awareness campaigns at the provincial level, such as the Get to Half campaign;

Continuation of MMSB�s Household Hazardous Waste Collection (HHW) Program until permanent HHW collection infrastructure is established through the 15 regional waste management authorities;

Co-ordination of province-wide research into waste disposal alternatives for those isolated communities that will not be able to participate in a regional approach to waste management because of practical considerations; and,

Permanent closure of existing waste disposal sites that do not meet the new environmental standards set in the Provincial Waste Management Strategy.

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 broad-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 more than 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, each with a specific role in the strategy.

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 04 03 11:25 a.m.

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