| LCBO Pays Share of Recycling to Municipalities, Supports Province's 50% Waste Reduction Goal
Waterloo-Wellington M.P.P. Ted Arnott announced today that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is providing $4 million to Ontario's municipalities to help pay for the Blue Box recycling program.
The payment represents the LCBO's portion under a new waste diversion system that is being debated by the Ontario Legislature.
“I welcome this investment by the LCBO. They have shown solid leadership by stepping forward to help municipalities pay for the recycling of bottles purchased from LCBO stores,” said Mr. Arnott.
“Under the leadership of Environment Minister Elizabeth Witmer, municipalities will see more of their recycling costs covered as we strive to achieve Ontario's 50 per cent waste reduction goal,” he added.
An integral part of this commitment was the Government's introduction of Bill 90, the Waste Diversion Act, 2001. If passed, this bill would set up the Waste Diversion Organization, which will establish a system to collect fees from industries in order to pay 50 per cent of the operating costs of municipal Blue Box programs.
With this investment by the LCBO alone, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo will receive $147,840 for 3,897 tonnes of waste for the year 2000, and Wellington County Recycling will receive $34,572 for 861 tonnes for that year.
Mr. Arnott is also the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, and helped conduct public hearings on the Waste Diversion Act on the Standing Committee on General Government.
Mr. Arnott's provincial riding of Waterloo-Wellington includes all of Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich Townships, a southwestern part of the City of Kitchener, and much of Wellington County.
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