Waste Management Trends and Challenges

The City’s first waste plan, the Integrated Waste Management Master Plan (IWMMP), was adopted in 2003 and was designed to set waste direction in the city for a 20-year period. As the end of the planning horizon for this waste plan draws near, awareness has been increasing that the traditional approach to waste management used by many municipalities across North America will not be enough to keep communities clean and liveable in the long-term. This traditional approach included reliance on landfilling and exporting garbage and recyclables to parts of the globe willing to accept them.

What is the current global thinking on waste? What are the main trends and challenges we need to consider as we discuss the next Solid Waste Master Plan?