Statistics
The average Canadian family throws out a tonne of packaging every
year.
 Each Canadian throws away about half a kilogram of packaging
daily.
Approximately 2.6 million tonnes of packaging was sent for disposal in
1996, compared with 5.4 million tonnes in 1988. This is an improvement,
but we can do more.
In 1992 and 1996, plastic expanded foam (polystyrene) used for
packaging rose by 232 per cent. The number 6 on the bottom of containers
identifies polystyrene. Toronto doesn't pick up polystyrene containers for
recycling. Either the containers should not be made or we should find a
way to recycle them.
Monitoring results for 1996 showed a 51.2% reduction in the weight of
packaging compared to 1994. This is good news.
A higher diversion goal of about 75 per cent, which is the packaging
waste reduction target in many European countries, should be considered
for Canada.
Each Canadian produces 1.7kg of waste each day (roughly our body weight
in garbage every single month!)
 Canadians take home more than 55 million plastic shopping
bags each week, or almost eight million every day! A smart move would be
to bring your own shopping bags with you to the grocery store, or use the
boxes that stores like No Frills and Price chopper provide.
Garbage is taken to one of the 10, 000 landfill sites in Canada. 30-50%
of all garbage is organic material, such as: food scraps, leaves, and
non-recyclable paper (paper towels, napkins, etc.). Nova Scotia and Guelph
have eliminated organics from the landfill.
In 2000 Toronto households created 920, 000 tonnes of waste. 76% was
sent to the landfill and 24% was recycled, composted or re-used. These
stats do not match up against either Guelph
or Nova
Scotia.
The proposed Task
Force 2010 program for Toronto would divert landfill waste by 60% by
the year 2006.
Gueph, Ontario (population of 100, 000) has reduced garbage sent to the
landfill by 58%. About 98% of Guelph's population participated in their
wet/dry system. Dry waste was reduced by 51% and wet waste was reduced by
67%.
Nova Scotia's Waste Diversion
There has been a 50% waste diversion in Nova Scotia.
 Nova Scotia has reduced from more than 100 dumps and
open-burning sites in the 1970's to 18 landfills, with only 9 expected to
be operating by 2005.
100% of Nova Scotians have curbside recycling.
3000 jobs were created since April 1, 1996 through Nova Scotia's Solid
Waste Management Strategy.
87% of households in Nova Scotia are within 20km of an Enviro-Depot
(This is where bottles are returned for deposit refund).
80% of bottles are kept out of landfills because of their deposit
return
system. | 
