Waste Reduction
Reducing what we consume would create sustainable jobs and wealth, and re-using goods would send less garbage to landfill.
TEA advocates for waste reduction policies, such as:
- Extended Producer Responsibility laws which ensure that manufacturers and retailers - who design and sell the packaging and products we consume - take full environmental responsibility of their products and packaging at every stage of its life-cycle. That means considering alternatives to make their product or package more durable, reusable, or recyclable, as well as paying their fair share of the cost for environmentally safe management when it's no longer in use.
- Return to Re-use which works to bring back refillable glass bottles for beverages, instead of using 'one-time' containers like Tetra Pak cartons and plastic bottles.
- Composting, which returns organic matter to the soil rather than burying it in landfills as garbage, and it can reduce Toronto's garbage by over 30%.
- Opposition to garbage and sewage incineration, including so-called 'thermal energy' and 'energy-from-waste' schemes.
Waste Reduction Initiatives:
To learn more about TEA waste reduction initiatives, follow the links below:
Looking for more information on Toronto's waste management?
To learn more about what the City of Toronto is doing to meet their 70% waste diversion rate by 2010, or simply to get information on specific programs and services that the City offers, visit their Solid Waste Management website by clicking here.