Environmental Science & Engineering - www.esemag.com - March 2004
Comments? send them to the editor.
The facts behind the Waste Diversion Act
The mandate of Waste Diversion
Ontario (WDO) is to develop,
implement and operate waste
diversion programs. WDO was
created as a permanent, non-government
corporation by the Waste
Diversion Act, 2002 (Bill 90), when it
received Royal Assent on June 27,
2002.
A partnership made up of industry,
municipal, non-governmental representatives
and the Ministry of the
Environment, WDO is operated by a
board of directors whose membership
consists of:
- Three voting members from
Corporations Supporting Recycling
(CSR);
- Four voting members appointed by
the Association of Municipalities of
Ontario;
- One voting member from the
Brewers of Ontario;
- One voting member, appointed
jointly by the Canadian Consumer
Specialty Product Association (formerly
Canadian Manufacturers of
Chemical Specialties Association) and
the Canadian Paint and Coatings
Association;
- One voting member from the
Canadian Newspaper Association;
- One voting member from the
Liquor Control Board of Ontario;
- One voting member from the Retail
Council of Canada; and
- Three members appointed by the
Minister – one non-voting public servant,
and two not employed in the public
service, one of whom is a voting
member.
Board members, including the
chair, receive no remuneration for their
participation. An operating agreement
between the Minister of the
Environment and WDO provides the
authority to revise the structure of the
board where appropriate, for example,
to add board members when new programs
are developed.
The Waste Diversion Act provides
the legislative framework under which
all participants in the process must
operate. The Act details the set-up,
responsibilities and reporting requirements
of WDO, and ministry enforcement
provisions and penalties for noncompliance.
The Waste Diversion Act allows the
Minister of the Environment to make
regulations designating materials for
which programs may be required.
For each waste diversion program,
WDO must create a sustainable funding method, based on fees paid by designated
industry stewards. An industry
funding organization (IFO), set up for
each program, helps WDO with this
part of the process.
After the Minister designates a
waste material, the Minister can formally
request WDO to develop a diversion
program for that waste. WDO
then establishes a new IFO, or works
with an existing IFO, to jointly develop
the program. Each program proposal
will include rules for industry fees to
be charged, estimated costs for the program,
waste diversion targets and
implementation details. As part of the
development process, WDO must consult
the public, and anyone that might
be affected by a program.
The Minister must approve a waste
diversion program proposal made by
WDO before the program can be
implemented. Once the Minister
informs WDO that a program is
approved, it must be implemented by
WDO and the IFO.
This article was based on information
from a MOE Fact Sheet 2003.
Contact:
www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/land/wda/
references/factsheet.htm.
See our home page on how to order your subscription. We regret we can
only accept orders from Canada and the United States.