Press release.
Guelph City Council has endorsed the 29 recommendations outlined in the City’s 2014 Solid Waste Management Master Plan (SWMMP) that will build on Guelph’s leadership in waste minimization and diversion for a sustainable, service-focused and economically viable future.
Guelph’s 2014 SWMMP provides strategic direction for the next 20 years and focuses on developing and enhancing waste minimization and diversion initiatives that will help the City meet the plan’s reaffirmed waste diversion target of 70 per cent by 2021.
The revised plan is the result of the SWMMP Review that began in the spring of 2013. City staff, along with a consultant team from GENIVAR (now WSP Canada Inc.) and a Public Steering Committee, conducted the review that included gathering feedback and ideas from the community, evaluating the current waste system and programs, assessing Guelph’s future needs, identifying new waste management trends, the costs and effectiveness of new approaches, and exploring options and opportunities to increase diversion.
The 2014 SWMMP includes 29 recommendations that fall into the following five categories: municipal; residential; multi-residential; industrial, commercial and institutional; and construction and demolition. The plan’s recommendations reflect the current and future needs of our growing community, waste management and diversion trends, and potential economic, environmental and social factors, ensuring the City’s ability to deliver effective waste management programs and services for Guelph.
Implementation of the plan’s recommendations takes place over a five year period and includes exploring alternatives to landfill, implementing a grasscycling program, developing a construction and demolition waste diversion strategy, and enhanced public education and outreach programs for residents with a specific focus on those living in multi-residential properties. The estimated impact on the City’s operating budget over the five year implementation period is $426,300 with an additional one-time capital cost of $595,000.
For more information about the 2014 SWMMP and the SWMMP Review, visit guelph.ca/plans-and-strategies/solid-waste-management-master-plan/.