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(Orangeville) – Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner called for shifting the cost burden of waste off taxpayers and onto industry while speaking at the Municipal Waste Association of Ontario meeting.
“Polluters should pay their fair share,” said Schreiner. “The best way to reduce waste is create incentives for businesses to not produce it in the first place. We must stop allowing industry to pass the cost of waste to taxpayers.”
Schreiner called for an overhaul of the Waste Diversion Act to prioritize waste reduction and reuse over recycling. The Liberal government has failed to meet Ontario’s waste diversion targets. Ontario loses 75% of its materials to disposal.
“Reducing waste in Ontario is not only a landfill issue, it is also an economic issue,” Schreiner added. “Diverting waste creates 7 times more jobs than waste disposal.”
The Green Party is pushing the government to fix Ontario’s flawed cost structure that makes dumping garbage less expensive than reusing and recycling. As the cost of energy and resources go up, Ontario must increase efficiency while aggressively reducing waste in all areas of our economy.
“Our prosperity and quality of life in the 21st century will depend on using resources efficiently,” said Schreiner. “Reducing waste is good for our economy and our environment.”
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