Integrated Waste Management Plan Approved For Council Consideration

Trenton, ON – Donald Scharfe, P.Eng of Quinte Waste Solutions has completed the Integrated Waste Management Plan on behalf of the nine member municipalities that make up the Centre & South Hastings Waste Services Board.

The Plan was accepted at the Centre & South Hastings Waste Services Board meeting on Monday June 28th, and will be delivered to the 9 member municipal councils by the end of July.

The Integrated Waste Management Plan is a holistic approach to managing the waste management requirements in the area. The plan outlines a course of action considering the social, economic and environmental factors to dealing with various waste categories including organics, recycling, hazardous waste, and energy from waste. “ I believe by working together, this region has developed a plan that will be good for the environment, people will like and won’t break the bank ”, explains Scharfe.

Moving forward, similar to a menu, each member municipality will decide on what aspects of the plan fit within their municipal planning. Each municipality has their own requirements, which makes this plan unique in that they may opt in on some of the plan, and may decide to hold off on other parts until they have a requirement.

Quinte Waste Solutions has been diverting waste from landfill since 1990 and is ranked #2 among Ontario municipalities of the same size and type. The most recent curbside waste audits in 2006/2007 show that Centre & South Hastings including Prince Edward County residents are capturing 82% of the available blue box materials in the area.

The Centre & South Hastings and P.E.C. total diversion rate as identified in the 2008 Waste Diversion Ontario Data Call for all Ontario municipalities considering all waste categories mentioned above is currently 43.09%.

With many Ontario municipalities adopting curbside organics programs, a key recommendation of this Integrated Waste Management Plan is to consider the adoption of a local program to divert organic waste from landfill.

Currently, 40% of the waste going to landfill in the area is organics, and could be composted, thus extending the life of local landfills by close to half.

The Integrated Waste Management Plan is on the Quinte Waste Solutions website http://www.quinterecycling.org/  for the public to view.

Massive Turnout for E-Waste Recycling Day

Trenton - Poor weather wasn't enough to deter the efforts of 800 + Quinte residents and businesses as they took advantage of an opportunity to have their e-waste recycled for free. Quinte Waste Solutions (QWS), an approved collector under the Ontario Electronic Stewardship Program, partnered with the Belleville Green Task Force to bring this waste electronics recycling event to businesses and residents in the area this past Saturday May 8th at the Yardmen Arena.

Jennifer Salutari, Waste Electronics Program Supervisor for QWS was delighted at the quantity of e-waste received. "I was amazed to see so much collected Saturday, the more electronics we gather today will mean less in the landfill tomorrow" she explains. A total of five 53' tractor trailers were filled at the event. Gleaners Food Bank also received support from the community through donations of non-perishables as well as monetary donations.

The high participation at last Saturday's event suggests that another collection day may be necessary. Salutari figures it will be planned sometime in late summer, and reminds residents that they may drop off waste electronics at the Belleville Depot [75 Wallbridge Crescent], along with their Hazardous Waste on Tuesday's between 4pm and 7pm and Thursday's 8am until 2pm. Televisions are not accepted at the Depot because of the amount of space they take up and therefore require special events like the one held this past Saturday.

For more information on waste electronic recycling days, please visit http://www.quinterecycling.org/

More Opportunities to Divert Waste Electronics in Quinte!

Trenton, ON – Beginning April 1st, 2010, Ontario Electronic Stewardship’s waste electronics recycling program will be expanding its list of acceptable items. For residents served by Quinte Waste Solutions, not much will change; this is because they have already been accepting these items for over five years.
Quinte Waste Solutions however, will receive much needed financial relief to assist in covering the costs of diverting these materials. "Up until now, we have been absorbing the cost to divert phase 2 materials, the additional materials approved by OES", explains Jennifer Salutari of Quinte Waste Solutions. "We will now receive a financial incentive to partially offset the operating costs of the program. This will also allow us to expand our special events this year, providing residents with more opportunities to divert their e-waste."
In 2008, Quinte Waste Solutions diverted 80.51 Metric Tonnes (MT) of e-waste from landfill. In 2009, that number increased by over 100% to 162.16 MT. That is the equivalent of 36 x 53’ tractor trailers in two years. "Quinte Waste Solutions’ goal for 2010 is to double the 2009 tonnage" says Jennifer Salutari. "We will achieve this by increasing the number of waste electronic drop off events throughout the Quinte Waste Solutions service area, in addition to our continued efforts of partnering with municipalities to provide local drop off opportunities for the residents of their areas."
Quinte Waste Solutions’ next TV and Waste Electronics Drop-off event will be at the Tyendinaga Township Works Yard on Saturday April 24th between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. This one day event is free to residents and businesses; however a non-perishable food donation will be welcomed for the local Helping Hands Food Bank.
Visit www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca for more information on the changes to their program, and check in at www.quinterecycling.org for upcoming opportunities near you.

Blue Box Exchange Day 2009

Trenton, ON – The sun was shining on Quinte Waste Solutions’ 1 Day Waste Reduction Event which was held
this past Sunday May 3rd, 2009. Quinte residents came out in numbers to purchase rain barrels, blue boxes and composters, all in an effort to reduce their environmental footprint.
“This year brought even more people than last,” says Jeanne Vilneff of Quinte Waste Solutions. “With the increased awareness of the state of the environment, people are making positive changes in their lives, especially in the areas of waste reduction”.
Norseman Plastics was also on location and sold a little more than 800 Systern Rain Barrels.
With a capacity of 208L, these rain barrels will amount to a lot of savings when it comes to our municipal water consumption, not to mention the potential 40% savings annually on personal utility bills.
The event brought the familiar sounds of musical talents Andy Forgie and the Whystle Dawgs as they “busked” for “Change for the Environment”, a not-for-profit group dedicated to improving our air quality through the planting of trees as well as contributions to the Ontario Lung Association.

Quinte and area residents were serenaded by the Whystle Dawgs’ traditional roots music while they exchanged their broken blue boxes and shopped around for the various products Quinte Waste Solutions sells at cost.
Recognizing the demand for Systern Rain Barrels throughout the area, Quinte Waste Solutions will be carrying a limited supply for those who did not have a chance to purchase one last weekend.