Solid Waste Master Plan

During Phase 1 of the Solid Waste Master Plan, a series of technical memorandums were developed to understand and document:

• the existing waste management system and practices at the City of Ottawa;
• the current legislative context in which the Waste Plan will be developed;
• emerging policies and trends in the waste management industry that need to be considered;
• what programs, services and policies progressive Canadian municipalities have in place; and
• current and emerging approaches and technologies to collect, process and dispose of municipal waste.

Due to their technical nature, only the French Executive Summaries are available. The City of Ottawa may translate these reports or parts thereof upon request. Please forward your requests to: wasteplan@ottawa.ca

Current State Summary Document

The first step in the master planning process was to document the current state of the City’s solid waste management system. The Current State Summary documents the existing baseline waste management system, programs and supporting policies, as well as corporate waste management practices.

1. Executive summary
2. Technical memorandum
3. Appendices

Legislative Review

This technical memorandum includes a review of recent federal and provincial solid waste policies, programs and legislation, including an assessment of the potential impacts on the City’s future waste management system.

1. Executive summary
2. Technical memorandum

Emerging Policies and Trends

Emerging policies and trends in waste management are covered in this technical memorandum, including solid waste management policy and program trends at the municipal, provincial, federal and international levels. It also covers recent consumer, waste generation and packaging trends, as well as trends in the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sector.

1. Executive summary
2. Technical memorandum

Municipal Scan

To identify innovative and progressive municipal waste management programs, services and policies in Canada that could be applied to the City’s future waste management system, a comparative scan of eight different municipalities was undertaken. The findings are documented in this technical memorandum.

1. Executive summary
2. Technical memorandum

Technology Review

This technical memorandum documents the results of a high-level review of different proven and emerging municipal waste management technologies and approaches that could potentially be applicable to the City’s future solid waste management system.

1. Executive summary
2. Technical memorandum

In order to have meaningful conversations about what the City should include in the Solid Waste Master Plan it is important to understand who has a role to play and the specific responsibilities of each level of government.

What role does the City of Ottawa play in solid waste management? What can be addressed through the Solid Waste Master Plan? What are the current federal and provincial initiatives and how can the actions of municipalities complement these plans and policies?

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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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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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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, 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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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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