recycling in canada

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Questions

What is the current state of the recycling programs in Canada? Do some provinces recycle more than others? How can the amount of recycling in a nation be increased? What does the future hold in terms of recycling initiatives?

Introduction

A very important issue tied to Canada’s future sustainability is that of recycling. There is currently a shortage of suitable landfill spaces in Canada, and the current landfills produce harmful emissions (Statistics Canada, 2008). Using methods to divert as many of these wastes away from landfills will help to slow their growth and improve Canada’s future outlook. Recycling is one such method.

Recycling Programs in Canada

Currently in Canada, the amount of waste generated by households is increasing. As Canadians continue to consume more, the amount of waste created as a result increases as well and between 2000 and 2004, household waste increased by 19% (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 8). While this is appears to be a frightening statistic for landfills across Canada, recycling is actually increasing as well, and at a faster rate. Over the same time period (2000-2004), household recycling increased by 65% in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 9). This is a positive sign as it is clear that Canada’s increase in trash is being offset by a much stronger effort with regards to recycling.

By material, the three largest areas of recycling in Canada are organics, newsprint, and cardboard (Statistics Canada, 2008, para. 13). Organics include food wastes, and are the items that go into green bins. It was only recently in Ontario that green bin collection began on a regular basis, and according to a recent study, the program may have grown faster than initially expected. In 2007, t...

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...recycling

day'. The Canadian Press, pp. n/a. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/359930007?accountid=12347

Spiegelmen, H. (2003). Beyond Recycling: The Future of Waste. Retrieved from

http://archive.grrn.org/zerowaste/articles/enough_spring_2003.html

Statistics Canada. (2008, Nov 11). Recycling in Canada. Retrieved from

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/16-002-x/2007001/article/10174-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. (2007). Study: Recycling by Canadian households. Retrieved from

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100707/dq100707a-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. (2011, Sep 30). Spending on waste management. Retrieved from

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-402-x/2011000/chap/gov-gouv/gov-gouv01-eng.htm

Welsh, M. (2009, Mar 1). Green bin waste trucked to N.Y. Toronto Star. Retrieved from

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/594806

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