Solid Waste Master Plan

The City is developing a new Solid Waste Master Plan, to be completed in early 2024. The plan will guide how we manage solid waste over the next 30 years. As Ottawa grows and changes, we want to ensure our waste services evolve to meet new needs and challenges. This page will be your hub for updates and opportunities to provide feedback.

Managing solid waste is a shared responsibility, and every resident has a part to play. That’s why, we need meaningful conversations with you to help ensure the new Solid Waste Master Plan works for everyone.

If you require assistance or are experiencing technical problems with this page, please contact us at wasteplan@ottawa.ca.

Waste Management Trends and Challenges

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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?

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The Circular Economy and Extended Producer Responsibility

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The circular economy and extended producer responsibility (EPR) will be discussed with residents and stakeholders as the City develops its new Solid Waste Master Plan. The information in this document provides an overview of the circular economy and EPR, and how they are applied globally and in Canada. These two topics will play a major role in waste management in Ottawa. Residents and key stakeholders will be able to provide feedback on how the circular economy and EPR should be included in the City’s new Solid Waste Master Plan.
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New and emerging technologies in waste management

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A range of new and emerging technologies potentially applicable to the City of Ottawa’s future solid waste management will be explored throughout development of the Solid Waste Master Plan. In order to have conversations about the various technologies, and their advantages and disadvantages, it is important to acquire an understanding of the range and type of available and upcoming new technologies and their potential role in managing waste.
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Key Challenges for Multi-Residential Waste Management

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As the City begins developing its new Solid Waste Master Plan, it is important to provide an understanding of the current waste management system in order to identify opportunities to strengthen the services and programs provided to customers. The information in this document offers insight into the challenges faced in managing and diverting waste at multi-residential properties. It is important to have an awareness of these challenges in order to recommend how the City best moves forward in addressing challenges and supporting the vision and guiding principles of the Waste Plan.
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Plastics and their Management

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Plastics, including single-use plastics (SUPs), and their management is a topic that will be discussed throughout development of the Waste Plan. Conversations will explore why the management of plastics is a global issue and what the City can do to compliment or expand on actions taken by other jurisdictions.
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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The information in this document offers insight into Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions associated with the waste management industry, including various technologies and innovations developed to reduce the impact of waste management on the environment. It is important to have an awareness of how the waste management sector influences GHG and climate change in order to recommend how the City best moves forward the vision and guiding principles of the Solid Waste Master Plan.

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Waste Processing and End Market Challenges

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The information in this document offers insight into the challenges faced in processing and preparing divertible material to be recycled and finding end markets for the final products. It is important to have an awareness of these challenges in order to participate in discussions that will come up during Solid Waste Master Plan development that consider the life cycle of waste.
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Bioplastics and their management

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If bioplastics are to become an effective alternative to petroleum-based plastic packaging, waste management systems need to be able to incorporate these products. Municipalities have a role to play in ensuring waste management systems are effective at controlling the flow of these materials. As the Solid Waste Master Plan is developed discussions will take place that explore what is being done at the federal and provincial levels and what municipalities can do to compliment or add to these actions.
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