waste management

Call for Papers: Interested in presenting at the 2020 CWRC?

This conference is of primary interest to waste generators, stewards, brand owners, municipalities, private waste sector companies and property management companies. If you are involved in any of the following; you will gain insight and be able to share ideas with facility owners and operators, regulators and policymakers, academia and students.

Presentations at the conference will be assigned to different ‘tracks’ outlined in the Call for Papers form. Speaking opportunities include: general sessions, opening keynotes, a closing speaker. Members of the CWRC Annual Conference Committee are responsible for ranking proposals, speakers, and timelines of topics. Share your insight and knowledge by presenting a paper at the 11th Canadian Waste to Resource Conference (CWRC). Conference speakers gain visibility in the sector, as well as contribute to the advancement of the profession. Presentation papers relating to all areas of waste management will be considered.

The deadline for submission of papers is February 7th, 2020.

Call for Poster Presentations: Submit your research and/or study for presentation at the 2020 CWRC!

Each year the CWRC provides an opportunity for professors and students to
showcase their research to waste and recycling sector experts from government,
municipalities and leading waste management organizations. Poster presenters will have a chance to present their findings during the conference in the poster exhibit area located in a central event space

The CWRC is recognized across the country as “the place to be” for waste management professionals, providing exposure opportunities for research outcomes and for students, or academia looking to establish links within the sector.

The deadline to submit your poster presentation is August 15, 2020.

Annual Member & Services Guide

OWMA Introduces New Digital Magazine Format for 2020

Top FIVE reasons to advertise in the 2020 OWMA Member and Services Guide:

1. One of a Kind: It is the only publication of its kind for sourcing waste and recycling sector businesses and organizations in Ontario.
2. Value: OWMA’s new and improved digital issue will be searchable, shareable and includes live links to all web addresses, URLs and email addresses within the publication – readers will be able to access your information directly from the digital version on their mobile device or desktop computer.
3. Reach: The Guide is mailed to roughly 750 waste and recycling professionals and organizations in Ontario; shared online with approximately 10,000 annual OWMA website visitors and over 5,000 social media followers (per post) interested in waste and recycling.  
4. Cost-Effective: 365 days of advertising exposure starting as low as $519.50 for a 1/8 page placement.
5. Easy to Find and Access: A link to the OWMA Member & Services Guide will be included in all OWMA e-newsletters, OWMA social media feeds and highlighted on the OWMA.org homepage throughout 2020!

Space available includes full, half, quarter and eighth page sizes available, please contact Melissa Carlaw mcarlaw@owma.org, or Justine Stewart jstewart@owma.org (T:905.791.9500) to book your placement submit your ad artwork before the final deadline of January 13, 2020.

We look forward to working with you!

For more information visit our Excess Soils page.

On December 4, 2019, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks announced that the government is moving forward with finalizing the excess soil management regulations under the Environmental Protection Act.

The approved Regulation, O. Reg. 406/19: ON-SITE AND EXCESS SOIL MANAGEMENT, filed December 4, 2019 under Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. E.19, can be found here: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r19406

OWMA’s comments submitted during the consultation period can be found here: https://ero.ontario.ca/comment/32410

The regulatory changes will do the following:

Reuse of soil: The On-Site and Excess Soil Management Regulation will clarify requirements for the reuse and management of excess soil, including risk-based standards for safe reuse. The regulation also clarifies when the waste designation applies to the movement and disposal of excess soil and replaces or simplifies waste-related approvals with regulatory rules for low risk soil management activities. These provisions will come into effect on July 1, 2020.

Excess Soil Planning Actions: Subject to exceptions, project leaders of certain projects generating or receiving excess soil will be required, starting January 1, 2022, to conduct excess soil management actions before any excess soil leaves the project area, including in some cases characterizing the soil to determine the concentrations of contaminants in the soil. It would also include identifying appropriate reuse sites and tracking excess soil movements. Key information would be required to be registered on a public registry.

Landfilling of excess soil: The On-site and Excess Soil Management Regulation will restrict the deposit of clean soil at landfill sites, unless the soil is needed for cover or functions beneficial to the functioning of the landfill. This requirement will come into effect on January 1, 2025.

Brownfields redevelopment: Brownfield properties are vacant or underutilized lands previously used for industrial or commercial activities and that typically require the filing of a record of site condition before being redeveloped. The amendments to O. Reg. 153/04 include reduced requirements associated with filing a Record of Site Condition. This includes a reduced need to fully delineate contaminants for properties going through the Risk Assessment process, flexibility on meeting standards in specific circumstances, and removing the requirement for a Record of Site Condition for specific low risk redevelopment situations. These changes came into effect immediately.

OWMA has responded to an Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) posting to change the mandate of the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) to include digital reporting services through its registry for a wider range of waste and resource recovery programs. This proposal would establish RPRA functions beyond the current oversight and regulatory role for extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations and programs. Key in the proposal is to transition the Hazardous Waste Information network (HWIN) to RPRA to facilitate an updating of the HWIN system including electronic manifesting and data collection. OWMA has confirmed the need to update HWIN and highlighted the current inefficiencies of the system.

OWMA has supported the expansion of the RPRA mandate and the transition of the HWIN system to RPRA. 

KC Recycling, a Pacific Northwest recycler of cathode-ray tube (CRT) glass from old televisions, lead-acid batteries, and electronic scrap, is adding capacity to manage all of Canada’s scrap CRT glass.

In order to expand capacity, the company is adding an additional shift to the production schedule, creating new jobs in the Kootenay region of British Columbia. It is also investing significant capital in production equipment to increase daily throughput. The investments include an automated conveyance and storage system at the KC Recycling facility in Trail, British Columbia.

After the closure of the smelter in Belledune, New Brunswick, KC Recycling will be able to handle eastern Canada’s CRT glass.

CRT glass recycling is critical because it recycles the lead content into new products and eliminates an environmental hazard that could arise from inadequate disposal of lead. KC Recycling has been a leader in this process for many years, processing most of the glass generated in western Canada and the Pacific Northwest.

Read the full press release here

On behalf of OWMA, thank-you for another memorable evening of networking and connecting leaders in waste and recycling management! 
We had a record number of registrations this year (roughly 54% more than 2017) and a whopping 170+ people signing up for this unique networking event.

The evening did not disappoint as the weather and sailing were perfect for the tall ship “Empire Sandy” to make her 3-hour twilight voyage around the beautiful Toronto Harbour. 
As one of the largest gatherings of senior waste management executives and decision makers, this event included a who’s who of waste company leaders, as well as senior municipal and public sector representatives. 

The Waste Management Dinner Cruise is hosted by the OWMA, its Board of Directors and Associate Member sponsors whose exceptional support and participation in these events are crucial to its ongoing success and we sincerely thank-you.

This event is also a timely lead up to the Canadian Waste to Resource Conference (CWRC) that runs from October 8 – 10, 2019 alongside the Canadian Waste and Recycling Expo (CWRE) in Toronto.  
We look forward to seeing you all there! 

View the CWRC conference preview and sponsorship opportunities here. 

HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!!