Waste-Free Ontario Act Paves Way to Zero-Waste Future

On June 1, Ontario, Canada, passed the Waste-Free Ontario Act, which is a big step towards creating what province officials are calling a zero-waste future. Although the draft for the act is still being finalized, it is set to establish a strategy that would include all of these points:

• Foster innovative packaging and product designs in businesses that encourages them to include durability, reusability and recyclability
• Improve recycling efforts across institutional, commercial and industrial, sectors, which would include construction companies and surfacing manufacturers
• Provide incentives to businesses that improve the efficiency of their recycling processes while remaining competitive
• Develop a plan to reduce organic material going into landfills

The draft of this groundbreaking legislation is titled Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy, and it envisions a future “where we have zero waste and zero greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector and where all resources, organic or non-organic, are used and reused productively, maximizing their recovery and reintegrating recovered materials back into the economy.”

The above quote shows exactly how important this initiative is to eco-friendly surface and green construction companies. It could provide financial and other incentives to manufacturers of recycled surfaces, giving a big push to the industry.

In addition to the goal of a waste-free Ontario, the strategy includes a second objective, which is zero greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector, which would include construction waste. Ontario plans to work actively with businesses to reduce or eliminate waste while increasing the recovery of materials and resources.