The Peace Region Recycling and Waste Management Initiative Action Plan:  1999 – 2002

Background Information

Purpose of Action Plan:

In the later part of 1993, the Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee adopted an action plan outlining the future directions for the organization.  The action plan was prepared as a follow-up to the adoption of the Peace Region Integrated Waste Management Study by the Peace Region’s municipalities during the previous year.

The purpose of this Action Plan is to update the directions to be taken by the Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee.  The Action Plan will identify the initiatives that will be undertaken by the organization over the next three years.

The key focus of the Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee will be the coordination of recycling and waste management initiatives in this part of the Province of Alberta.  The Action Committee will bring together diverse interests for the purpose of enhancing the recycling of waste materials and diverting waste from landfills in the Peace Region.

Goals:

The Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee has established the following organizational goals that provide direction in terms of the initiatives to be undertaken by the organization:

• To coordinate recycling and waste management projects and/or programs on a regional basis;
  
   
• To build partnerships with the private sector, municipalities, community organizations and provincial/federal governments in the areas of recycling and waste management;  
  
  
•  To promote education and public awareness of the benefits of recycling;  
  
  
• To facilitate regionally-based recycling and waste management projects; and  
  
  
• To assist with the development of new markets for recycled materials with a focus on economic development opportunities in the Peace Region.

Building Partnerships

The Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee will work closely and build partnerships with:

•  Northern Coordinated Action For Recycling Enterprises;  
  
  
• Alberta Environmental Protection;  
  
  
• Federal Government and Provincial Government;  
  
  
• Industry and Business  
  
  
• Community organizations and not-for-profit groups involved in recycling; and the  
  
  
• Public  
  

The Action Committee has realized the benefits of building partnerships with diverse organizations and wants to continue to develop these positive relationships.

The Action Plan

Sub Committees:  Roles and Responsibilities

There will be four sub-committees established by the Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee.  Each of the sub-committees will include three members of the Action Committee.  The Action Committee will elect a chair for each of the four sub-committees.

The following is a list of the sub-committees, their responsibilities and projects:

• Education – Public Awareness
  This sub-committee will coordinate initiatives related to enhancing education and public awareness in regards to recycling in northwestern Alberta.  The sub-committee will be responsible for the promotion of the Action Committee, its mandate and activities.
  
  
• Glass – Plastics – Paper
  This sub-committee will work closely with Recycle Plus in relation to the implementation of the Regional Recycling Program.  The sub-committee will work with post-secondary school institutions and other organizations in regards to finding new applications for recycled glass products.  The sub-committee will work with the appropriate organizations to determine how northwestern Alberta will become a part of the plastic dairy container recycling program and how cardboard recycling could be coordinated on a regional basis.  
  
  
• Special Waste
  The major initiative for this sub-committee will be investigating opportunities to coordinate a household/small business hazardous waste round-up on a regional basis.  The sub-committee will provide a forum for the discussion of this project as well as the related planning and implementation.
  
  
• Tire Recycling
  This sub-committee will be responsible for monitoring the state of affairs in relation to the stockpiling of scrap tires in northwestern Alberta.  This will include any follow-up resulting from the Peace Regional Scrap Tire Round-Up pilot projects.  The sub-committee will work closely with the Tire Recycling Management Association of Alberta.  The sub-committee will prepare an outline and possibly implement a program that will encourage owners of privately-based scrap tire stockpiles to remove the stockpiles from their property for recycling purposes.

Challenges

 In terms of implementing recycling and waste management initiatives, the Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee and its sub-committees have a number of challenges to address.  These challenges include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Size of the area covered by the Action Committee’s member municipalities and the related transportation concerns;  
  
  
• Distances to markets for recyclable products and/or materials;  
  
  
• Amount of recyclable material that can be collected to make recycling and waste management initiatives economically viable in northwestern Alberta;  
  
  
• A developing recycling industry in northwestern Alberta;  
  
  
• Finding ways and means to establish a recycling industry in northwestern Alberta that is market-driven and self-sustaining;  
  
  
• Coordinating diverse interests, both private and public, that are involved and/or want to be involved in recycling in northwestern Alberta;  
  
  
• Continued education and public awareness of the challenges facing northwestern Alberta, as well as the opportunities, in relation to recycling and waste management initiatives; and  
  
  
• Changing environmental laws and regulations.

The Action Committee recognizes that many of these challenges can be addressed in a pro-active manner that will enable northwestern Alberta to realize the positive opportunities associated with the recycling of waste materials.

The Action Committee is committed to meeting these challenges in a manner that will find regional opportunities in terms of economic diversification, employment, and business generation for northwestern Alberta, as well as environmental sustainability.

Recycling and Waste Management Initiatives

Over the next three years, the Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee will undertake the following recycling and waste management initiatives in northwestern Alberta:

Education and Public Awareness

The organization of two workshops, in conjunction with Alberta Environmental Protection and Northern C.A.R.E., related to recycling and waste management.

• The publication of regular news releases.  
  
  
• The coordination of school presentation and other school-based programs that promote recycling while generating a greater interest in recycling in northwestern Alberta.  
  
  
• A directory of recycling and waste management businesses located in northwestern Alberta.  
  
  
• Updating, from time-to-time, the Action Committee’s information brochure.

Glass - Plastics – Paper

• The preparation of an inventory of equipment, facilities and programs available in the Peace Region for recycling and waste management operations  
  
  
• Continuing to enhance and promote the Regional Recycling Program, especially in terms of increased membership from Peace Region municipalities.  
  
  
• Investigating potential pilot projects in cooperation with other organizations such as Fairview College and Grande Prairie Regional College, for the purpose of finding applications for recycled glass products.  
  
  
• Determining the feasibility of coordinating a regional cardboard recycling program.  
  
  
• Methods to ensure that the Peace Region can become part of the provincial program aimed at the recycling of dairy containers.

Special Waste

• Preparation of proposal to coordinated the collection of household and small business hazardous waste on a regional basis.  
  
  
• Further investigation in the collection of household batteries and the potential integration into a provincial program.  
  
  
• Monitoring of and, where possible, involvement in the co-generation pilot project being coordinated by RDF Power Limited in the Grande Prairie area, including the investigation of possible projects in other parts of the Peace Region, especially the High Prairie area.

Tire Recycling

• Monitoring the situation in relation to the stockpiling of scrap tires and the need for future scrap tire round-ups in the Peace Region.  
  
  
• In conjunction with the Tire Recycling Management Association of Alberta, identify potential pilot projects based in the Peace Region that would utilize scrap tires and/or recycled rubber products.  
  
  
• The coordination of a program that would encourage owners of private scrap tire stockpiles to have them removed and forwarded to a recycling operation.  
  
  
• Keep in close contact with the Tire Recycling Management Association of Alberta in regards to the recycling of large, off-road scrap tires for the purpose of removing these scrap tires from landfills located in the Peace Region.

The Action Committee as a whole will undertake the following organizational initiatives:

• Identifying organizations and/or individuals that could be nominated for an Environmental (Emerald) Award of Excellence.  
  
  
• Taking steps to keep local Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and Member of Parliament up-to-date on the activities of the Action Committee, including a possible meeting with these elected representatives.  
  
  
• Monitoring public and/or private programs that may provide resources for recycling and waste management initiatives in the Peace Region.

The time table for the implementation of the initiatives will be at the discretion of the Action Committee and the members of the respective sub-committees.  The goal will be to implement these recycling and waste management initiatives during the upcoming three years (1999-2002).

Implementing the Action Plan

Consultation with Member Municipalities

The Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee will keep in close contact with its member municipalities.  Through on-going communication and consultation with its member municipalities, the Action Committee will ensure that its initiatives are meeting the needs of Peace Region municipal governments.  As well, the Action Committee realizes that in order to make their proposed regionally-based initiatives a success, the support and cooperation of municipalities is essential.

Hand-in-hand with the goal of consulting with its member municipalities, will be the Action Committee’s commitment to working with Northern C.A.R.E.  There is and will continue to be a close working connection between these two organizations.  In the past, this relationship has resulted in benefits for the Peace Region in the areas of recycling and waste management, something that the Action Committee will strive to retain.

The Action Committee’s Board of Directors will continue to be comprised of representatives of the Action Committee’s member municipalities. This is probably the most effective approach in terms of ensuring on-going consultation between the Action Committee and its member municipalities.

Review and Monitoring

At every meeting of the Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee the sub-committee Chairs will provide a status report on the work being undertaken by their sub-committee in relation to the initiatives identified in the Action Plan.  This reporting will provide a method for the Action Committee to continually monitor the implementation of the Action Plan.

Once a year, the Action Committee will undertake a major review of the Action Plan and, when necessary, make appropriate amendments to the document.

A copy of the Action Plan and future amendments to the document will be provided to each of the Action Committee’s member municipalities.

Looking For Opportunities

The Peace Region Waste Reduction Action Committee is committed to looking for opportunities in the area of recycling and waste management that are beneficial to northwestern Alberta.

Looking for opportunities is an important function of the Action Committee, especially when these opportunities will divert waste materials from going in landfills, enhance the environment or create economic development for this part of the Province of Alberta.

When new opportunities are identified, the Action Committee will attempt to bring together the interested parties and coordinate the process to realize the opportunity.