With the filing of O. Reg. 542/06, Municipal Hazardous or Special Wastes Regulation, Ontario's Minister of the Environment has designated the next category of wastes to be targeted for diversion from landfill in Ontario. The two principal categories of designated wastes are "municipal special" and "municipal hazardous". A draft diversion programme for eight of the designated wastes within these categories must be submitted to the Minister by May 31, 2007. "Municipal hazardous" wastes include corrosive, flammable and toxic products, hazards and containers as defined by the federal Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations, 2001, along with corrosive, ignitable, leachate toxic and reactive wastes and their containers, as defined by Ontario's O. Reg. 347 (General - Waste Management). "Municipal special" wastes includes a wide variety of wastes, including: batteries, pressurized containers, portable fire extinguishers, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides or pesticides, paints and coatings, oil filters, fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, pharmaceuticals, sharps and syringes, switches containing mercury, thermostats, thermometers, barometers and other devices containing mercury, antifreeze, solvents, alcohol and the containers in which the foregoing were contained. It should be noted that lubricating oil containers and oil filters had previously been designated under O. Reg. 85/03, Used Oil Material Regulation. Despite the term "municipal", the waste need not be owned, controlled or managed by a municipality to be included in the waste diversion program. The Minister's target is both residential waste and "small quantity" waste from the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors. The Minister has designated Waste Diversion Ontario as the Industry Funding Organization charged with developing a waste diversion programme for the designated wastes, which will require changes to the composition of the Board of Directors to ensure representation of affected stakeholders. The development of diversion programmes is to proceed in two phases, with the first focused on eight categories of waste: paints and coatings, solvents, oil filters, lubricating oil containers, single-use dry-cell batteries, antifreeze, pressurized containers, and fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and their containers. Consultations are planned in relation to the draft programme between February and May 2007; for more information see http://www.wdo.ca/content/?path=page80+item125629. Source: Gowling Envirobulletin February 2007 |
