By James Burchill

A reasonable question certainly and ‘No’, it’s not another Quentin Tarantino movie… Bill 90 was enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2001, with the intent of promoting the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste. That sounded like a good idea at first, but then somehow it gets a bit more complicated…

--- Enter The WDO

Out of this act a new governing body was created – Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO).

The WDO is a permanent, non-share non-government corporation created under the Waste Diversion Act on June 27, 2002. WDO was established to develop, implement and operate waste diversion programs for a wide range of materials that include Blue Box Waste, Used Tires, Used Oil Material, Household Special Waste, Electronic Waste, Organic Materials, Pharmaceuticals and Fluorescent Tubes.

The WDO has been authorized by the Act to work co-operatively with those industries that produce and distribute these products to establish programs to divert waste materials.

--- Do You Produce & Distribute Those Products?

Ontario's new Waste Diversion Act requires all companies that introduce packaging and printed paper into the Ontario consumer marketplace (“Stewards”) to share in 50% of the funding of Ontario’s municipal Blue Box waste diversion programs (please see Stewardship Ontario's Rules – visit www.StewardshipOntario.ca).

Companies doing business in Ontario - whose products' packaging and printed paper end up in residential Blue Boxes or the municipal residential waste system - were required to register with Stewardship Ontario - by April 20, 2004 - to fulfill their obligations.

--- Are You Obligated?

If you produce the materials mentioned, you might be required to register with Stewardship Ontario. If you have any questions regarding the Waste Diversion Act and its implications on your company please email them to questions@stewardshipontario.ca, or call Stewardship Ontario Membership Services, at 1-888-288-3360.

--- But What About Tires?

Tire recycling is overseen by another body called Ontario Tire Stewardship. Their website address is www.OntarioTireStewardship.ca The OTS works in conjunction with the WDO and acts co-operatively with Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO) to meet the requirements set out by the Waste Diversion Act.

--- Tire Diversion Plan

In December 2003, the OTS delivered its used tire diversion plan to the WDO. The report details plans to clean-up existing tire stockpiles, eliminate illegal dumping of discarded tires and promote reduction, re-use and recycling of tires in Ontario.

“This is truly a made-in-Ontario diversion plan” said Glenn Maidment, Chairman of OTS. “Ontario has not had a managed scrap tire program for over ten years, and this will be its first industry-run program, so the expectations are indeed high. Ontarians deserve an effective and responsible diversion program, so we’ve chosen to propose a model which is similar to other successful provincial scrap tire programs, but addresses specific concerns unique to Ontario”.

--- Old Tires Put To Good Use

“In this day and age no scrap tire should go to landfill or into stockpiles” said Bill Pardu, Executive Director of OTS. “There are plenty of other good uses for scrap tires, once they have been shredded or turned into rubber crumb, including sports surfacing, rubberized asphalt, civil engineering applications, or even new moulded products for the automotive industry among others. In addition, this plan offers a solution to reduce the millions of tires existing in Ontario stockpiles today , helping to eliminate a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes and the spread of West Nile Virus”.

The latest version of the OTS plan for used tire management, is available for viewing at their website: www.OntarioTireStewardship.ca

Author: http://www.JamesBurchill.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/