Redefining Waste
The term “waste” requires a fundamental rethinking: in a larger environmental context, wastes are simply misplaced resources. However, the common understanding of the word “waste” is perhaps better expressed as “unwanted stuff”; it is not generally associated with ideas such as value, opportunity, sustainability, and long-term prosperity. A more neutral term, one used often in this part of the Annual Report, is “residuals”. Similarly, the focus on “waste diversion”, as the term itself implies, has been largely motivated by the need to keep these materials out of disposal sites. It has not provided many incentives for resource conservation through reduction of residuals at source. This part of the Annual Report looks at the need and the potential for transformative change in residuals management in Ontario. It includes discussions of: several legacy issues, including an update on Ontario’s old landfills; two recent government decisions dealing with management of specific types of residuals, including non-agricultural source materials (NASM) and used tires; and the current and potential role of compost and composting in Ontario’s resource conservation strategies.
| Previous section: Aging Landfills: Ontario’s Forgotten Polluters |
| Next section: Using Mining Claims to Plan the Far North |
| This is an article from the 2009/10 Annual Report to the Legislature from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. |
Citing This Article:
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 2010. "Redefining Waste." Redefining Conservation, ECO Annual Report, 2009/10. Toronto, ON : Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 126.
