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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