Mission Statement: “To develop a community strategy for sustainable waste management that supports current and future service expectations in a manner that is fiscally responsible, socially acceptable and environmentally sound.”
The Strategy Goals
The City of Barrie’s population has been growing, and over the next 20 years the population is expected to increase to over 200,000 people (or by 50%). Socially acceptable, financially responsible and environmentally sound waste management planning is an important part of Barrie’s long term sustainable growth.
In January 2011, Barrie started working towards developing a Sustainable Waste Management Strategy.This Strategy will promote effective, efficient, and responsible change to our waste collection, diversion and disposal systems over the next 20 years. It will be a community-based plan, with goals, policies and a vision focusing on issues related to Barrie as a whole. Planning for the development of the Strategy includes:
- Community engagement
- Review of the Barrie’s collection, diversion, and disposal systems
- Integration of current and future waste policies, plans and directions
- Exploring opportunities for sustainable change, including:
• Collection, diversion and disposal system improvements;
• Program funding opportunities; and
• Partnerships with neighboring municipalities.
- Development of an action plan
What Does Barrie Think?
Since March, the City of Barrie has been asking residents what they think about their Waste Management Services, and what they would like to see in the future.
The image below, known as a word cloud, shows all of the topics residents provided feedback on during the Strategy engagement activities held so far. Topics are proportionally sized to the number of times they were identified.
Based on public input and in consultation with the Strategy’s Community Liaison Committee, a preliminary list of options have been identified for future waste management service:
- Biweekly garbage collection may be acceptable
- Partial user pay systems, but not full
- Four day collection cycle to prevent Saturday collections
- Standardize diversion programs locally and regionally
- Provide services to IC&I for fee
- Consistent bin colours throughout City
- Green bin programs for multi-family units
- Plastic film and mattress recycling
- Encourage diversion and "Zero Waste" at public events
- Reuse centres or bulky collection for reuse
- Recycling program for Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste
- More diversion depots/ longer hours
- Central depots in downtown area for recyclables , cardboard and garbage
- Support for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Zero Waste
- More promotion and education (P&E)
- Policy of mandatory curbside diversion participation
- Identify partnerships for future disposal and Energy From Waste (EFW)
- Support for EFW
Next Steps
We are currently completing our review and finalizing our list of recommendations for future service. As part of this process we have just completed a series of four community planning workshops aimed at getting feedback on this list of options and to help us prioritize changes for the future. If you haven’t had an opportunity to participate in Barrie’s Sustainable Waste Management Strategy activities we still need to hear from you!
Here are some ways you can get involved:
- Fill out any of the online surveys that are relevant to you:
- Email your comments, questions or ideas to wastestrategy@barrie.ca
- Spread the word – let your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers know about the Sustainable Waste Management Strategy – the more feedback we get from the community the better
