Manitoulin Island-Wide Waste Management Plan

The seven municipalities participating in this island-wide waste management study have formed the Island Waste Management Committee to manage and implement the results of the study. Its objectives are to significantly reduce the quantity of waste going to the landfill and to identify the best method of handling the residual waste stream. Several options will be examined, such as, programs for waste reduction, recycling, composting and special wastes (tires, scrap metal, hazardous wastes etc.), to reduce the amount of waste landfilled. Options for managing the disposal of the residual waste stream, including but not limited to consolidation of existing landfills, development of a new engineered landfill, use of a landfill beyond Manitoulin Island, incineration and bioreactor processing, will also be investigated. Environmental performance targets are: 60 per cent diversion of the municipal waste stream from landfill disposal; 90 per cent diversion of organic waste; reduction in greenhouse gas emissions through diversion of solid waste and consolidation/closure of existing landfills; and, potential consolidation of the 13 natural attenuation landfills on Manitoulin Island into a smaller number of engineered landfills, thereby, reducing untreated leachate discharges and other associated impacts, including those to adjacent properties.