Barrie lags more than 10 points behind Simcoe County and Orillia in diverting waste, newly released Waste Diversion figures reveal.
Both Simcoe County and Orillia have diversion rates of more than 60 per cent, while in Barrie, diversion in 2014 rang in at 45.4 per cent.
Coming in just a few points behind Orillia’s 62 per cent rate at 59 per cent, Simcoe County is determined to reach its 2020 diversion target of 71 per cent.
“Our residents deserve credit for their continued participation in our diversion programs,” said Simcoe County Warden Gerry Marshall.
“Having recently reaffirmed our diversion targets of 71 per cent by 2020 and 77 per cent by 2030, we’re gunning for first in the province. To get there, we must continue to advance our current programs and invest in local initiatives to manage our own waste and advanced our environmental stewardship.”
The 2014 numbers show that Simcoe County generated 465 kg/capital in waste, while Orillia generated 451 kg/person and Barrie 179 kg/person.
Green bin use was highest in Orillia, as 43.2 per cent of residential organics were diverted, followed by 32.6 per cent in Barrie and 30 per cent in Simcoe County.
Simcoe County has a higher percentage of seasonal residents – 9,890 households of its 129,735 households spread throughout its 16 member municipalities. By contrast, Orillia has 20 season households and Barrie none.
Data from a county waste audit conducted last year found 87 per cent of blue-box materials are landing there, not in landfills, although the 2014 WDO numbers aren’t quite so impressive.
Still, the provincial numbers show Simcoe County was a top performer with its use of grey and blue bins, as 61 per cent of recyclables were diverted from landfill, the Waste Diversion Ontario numbers reveal. By contrast, recycling levels rang in at 50.6 per cent in Barrie and 41.3 per cent in Orillia.
The county also has more than 20 specialized diversion programs at its landfill sites, including asphalt shingles, window glass and construction waste.
“We are so successful in these areas that there is little room for improvement,” said Rob McCullough, the county’s solid waste director.
“Our only real opportunity to divert more materials is to expand and grow the use of our green bin organics program.”
