A New Direction for Waste Management in the NWTWaste in the North Working Group Meeting

Whitehorse, YTFebruary 19-21, 2013

Diep Duong, P.Eng.Manager, Waste Reduction and ManagementEnvironment DivisionDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources Government of the Northwest Territories

Presentation OverviewWhy prevent and divert wasteWaste hierarchyLegal framework for waste reduction and recovery programsEnvironment FundBeverage Container ProgramSingle-use Retail Bag ProgramElectronic wasteWhat’s next

Why do we want to prevent and divert waste?

Why do we want to prevent and divert waste?

1. To protect and enhance the environment2. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions3. To preserve our resources

Canada (2006 Stats Canada)Produce almost 35 million tonnes per year7.75 million tonnes of which is diverted22% diversion rate835 kg/person/year

NWT (2010-11, based on Arkis Solutions)Produce approximately 49 thousand tonnes per yearBetween 530 – 1870 kg/person/yearNo diversion rate

Why do we want to prevent and divert waste?

If we look at this in terms of volume…

Uncompacted = ~ 242,000 m3/yrCompacted = ~ 80,700 m3/yr

What does this mean?

We produce enough waste in the NWT to fill up about 32 Olympic-size swimming pools annually

Integrated Solid Waste Management - Waste Hierarchy

Reduce

Reuse

Recycle

Recover

Disposal

Waste Diversion Programs in Canada

Legal Framework

Waste Reduction and Recovery ActOctober 2003Legal framework for creating programs to reduce, reuse and recycle materials in the NWTWaste Reduction and Recovery Advisory CommitteeEnvironment Fund

Environment Fund

Separate from general government revenue

Fees collected from programs under the Act go into the Environment Fund

Money from the Fund can only be used to establish, operate and evaluate waste reduction and recycling programs and initiatives

Environment Fund – what it pays forOperating expenses for programs under the ActUpgrade/improve NWT beverage container depots (Behchoko, Gameti, Norman Wells, Fort Resolution, Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Ulukhaktok, Fort Providence & Fort Liard)Feasibility of centralized composting in YellowknifePilot project for centralized composting in Yellowknife (partial funding)Hay River backyard compostingPublic education and outreach on waste reduction and recovery through Ecology NorthNew program development – adding milk, SRBP, electronic waste

Beverage Container Program

First program under the ActImplemented on November 1, 2005Deposit-refund program –incentive to recycle

Includes all ready-to-serve beverage containers, including milk and milk substitute

How the Program Works

Distributor or Retailer

Consumer

DepotProcessing Centre

Southern Markets or Use Locally

Beverage Container Program

Over 182 million beverage containers returned to date

Approximately 27 million containers returned annually

Average recovery rate of 82% since program inception

What do these numbers mean?

Annually, we are avoiding 2475 tonnes of CO2e emissions

= taking 485 vehicles off the road

What do the numbers mean?

Since the program began we have collected and recycled enough aluminum to build…

379 Twin Otters!

What Happens to the Containers?

What Happens to the Containers?Refillable beer - Brewer’s Distributing Ltd. in Edmonton

What Happens to the Containers?Aluminum – densified and sold to markets in the US

What Happens to the Containers?Plastic – baled and sold to Merlin Plastics in Calgary

What Happens to the Containers?Multi-material containers – baled and shipped to Michigan along with the Alberta containers

What Happens to the Containers?Non-refillable glass shipped to Airdrie and recycled into fiberglass insulation

Beverage Container Program ReviewProgram review started in 2011 to see how we

could improve the programKey areas in review:

• Collection network • Transportation• Revenue and expenses • Management of scrap• Policies and procedures • Processing of containers• Quality control – audits

of distributors and operators

• Reuse/recycling• Extended producer

responsibility• Container categories

Beverage Container Program Review

Report completed in November 201118 recommendations, some require amendments to regulationsReport and a timeline for addressing the recommendations on www.icarenwt.ca website

Single-use Retail Bag Program

Single-use Retail Bag ProgramSecond program created under the Act –

January 15, 2010

February 1, 2011

Goal: reduce bag litter on our land and to create a greater awareness of waste reduction and environmental stewardship

Higher fees = fewer bags

How the SRBP Works

ENR• Registers

distributors and retailers

• Receives quarterly payments of fees

Distributor• Charges NWT

grocery stores 25¢ per bag (+ bag price)

• Pays fees to ENR

Retailer• Charges consumers

25¢/bag• Fee appears on

receipt

Consumer• Remembers their

reusable bagOr

• Pays 25¢ per bag

25¢ Per bag

25¢ Per bag

25¢ Per bagEnvironment

Fund

25¢ Per bag

Diversion & Revenue for the SRBP

From January 15, 2010 to September 30, 2012 the SRBP prevented over 14 million bags from being used in the NWT

Generated approximately $1.15 million

Money collected from the SRBP - Environment Fund to pay for program expenses and development of new programs or improvement of existing programs

Annual Bag Reduction

Not using ~5.9 million bags annually = 49 tonnes of CO2e emissions avoided

Equivalent to taking 10 vehicles off the road annually

If they were all T-shirt bags, 14 million bags…

Would stretch from Inuvik to Colón, Panama

Electronic Waste (E-waste)

Electronic Waste (E-waste)

E-waste is the fastest growing waste streamContains hazardous chemicals and heavy metalsIn Canada, there are:

Eight provincially regulated e-waste programs in operation (BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, NS, PEI & QC)NB, NL and YT are also working toward the development of e-waste regulations.

E-waste - What the NWT is DoingE-waste survey to determine the types and amounts of electronic products in the NWT and where residents get their electronic products – May 2012Inventory and feasibility study completed - December 2012Reviewing data and engaging with ARMA and EPRA

Is that it?Waste Management Strategy for the NWT

The need to look at waste management as integrated and finite system.What baseline data do we need?Do we set targets?Who will be our key stakeholders?Which waste diversion programs do we implement?

Is that it?Waste Management Strategy

What waste disposal policies, standards, and/or regulations do we support and/or create? Do we support extended producer responsibility (EPR) in the NWT and if so, is it the right tool for all waste diversion programs?What other waste management policy tools do we use to achieve our goal?What is the best way for us to manage our waste diversion programs?

Questions

To find out more, visit our website at:www.icarenwt.ca

Or, contact us at nwtrecycle@gov.nt.ca867-873-7654