Environmental Registry

Policy Decision Notice:		EBR Registry Number: 010-0558
Title: Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste Program Plan		Ministry: Ministry of the Environment Date Decision loaded to the Registry: February 22, 2008 Date Proposal loaded to the Registry: June 11, 2007




Keyword(s): Pesticides \| Waste Diversion \| Waste Related Act(s): Waste Diversion Act, 2002

Decision on Policy: On February 19, 2008, Minister Gerretsen approved the amended Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste (MHSW) program plan as submitted by Waste Diversion Ontario on December 6, 2007. The amended program plan revised the program's original commencement date from January 1, 2008 to July 1, 2008. No substantial changes other than those related to the new commencement date have been made to the program plan that was posted for pubilc consultation. Comment(s) Received on the Proposal: 28 Public Consultation on the proposal for this decision was provided for 30 Days, from June 11, 2007 to July 11, 2007. As a result of public consultation on the proposal, the Ministry received a total of 28 comments: 20 comments were received in writing and 8 were received online. Additionally, a copy of all comments are available for public viewing by contacting the Contact person listed in this notice. A selection of these comments are available: Effect(s) of Consultation on this Decision: The Ministry received a total of 28 comments. The majority of the comments received were from industry stakeholders that were directly involved in the program’s development as well as municipalities and their associations. Comments were also received from environmental organizations and the general public. In general, municipalities, environmental organizations and the public are supportive of the program and would like to see the program and its subsequent phases implemented quickly. They are also supportive of the province’s move towards the principle of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and would like industry to take greater responsibility for waste resulting from their products. Industry is generally supportive of the plan and of participating in stewardship programs. Many industry stewards expressed their desire for a quick approval by the Minister in order to enable them to move onto implementation of the program. Industry stewards also voiced their desire to see the Minister move quickly on Phase 2 of the program. Some industry comments voiced concerns with the inclusion of their products in the program, and potential marketplace interference. In response to these concerns, Waste Diversion Ontario has submitted an addendum to the program to provide further clarity.		Contact: Stephen Jones Senior Policy Advisor Ministry of the Environment Integrated Environmental Policy Division Waste Management Policy Branch 135 St Clair Avenue West Floor 7 Toronto Ontario M4V 1P5 Phone: (416) 314-4633 Fax: (416) 325-4437