TORONTO'S BLUE BIN PROGRAM: THE NEED FOR A NEW RECYCLING SYSTEM by Layla Ali Abdi 500817281 Ryerson University School of Graphic Communications Management GCM 490 Thesis Ian Baitz Research Question: Can a dual stream recycling system be beneficial for lowering the contamination rate in Toronto's Blue Bin Program? Monday November 30, 2020 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. Donna Abdelrazik, for her priceless support during this project. Her expertise and encouraging comments were invaluable in formulating my research question and methodology. She provided me both guidance and opportunities that allowed me to further my research. Many thanks to my course instructor, Prof. Ian Baitz, for his guidance throughout the semester. He provided me the tools that I needed to successfully complete my undergraduate thesis. I would like to thank those who participated in completing my survey, as it allowed me to gather valuable data towards the development of my research. A special thanks to Rajesh S., whose encouragement during difficult times helped me throughout the development of my paper. Last but not least, I would like to share my gratitude to all my friends and family who directly or indirectly helped me to complete this paper. Layla Ali Abdi 2 ABSTRACT The purpose of this report was to investigate the waste management system for the City of Toronto's household recyclables. In this study, a survey was conducted on residents' recycling knowledge and actions in order to identify the stress points where contamination has allowed itself to manifest. It was predicted that the current single stream recycling program employed by the City was not an effective means to waste management, as it has been unable to keep up with consumer consumption and end-market demands. The results obtained from both the literature review and survey showcase a strong correlation between single stream recycling systems and increased contamination. It was recommended that the City of Toronto implement a dual stream recycling system in order to reduce the contamination rate, keep up with market demands, and contribute to their long-term environmental goals such as the circular economy. 3 TABLES OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 5 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 BLUE BIN PROGRAM: LACK OF EDUCATION AND AWARENESS ........................................................... 7 2.2 INCREASED CONTAMINATION RELATING TO SINGLE STREAM ........................................................... 8 2.3 INCREASED COSTS RELATING TO SINGLE STREAM ................................................................................ 8 2.4 SINGLE STREAM EFFECTS ON END-MARKETS ......................................................................................... 9 2.5 SOLUTIONS TO THE INCREASING CONTAMINATION RATE ............................................................... 10 2.6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 11 3.0 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................. 12 4.0 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................... 13 4.1 RESPONDENTS ACTIONS DURING RECYCLING PROCESS ..................................................................... 13 4.2 PARTICIPATION TO ALTERNATIVE RECYCLING SYSTEMS ................................................................... 14 4.3 SUSTAINABILITY AND LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS ......................................................... 16 4.4 SUGGESTIONS BY RESPONDENTS TO LOWERING CONTAMINATION ............................................... 17 4.5 FACTORS RELATING TO DUAL STREAM IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................. 19 4.6 BRIEF SUMMARY OF RESULTS .................................................................................................................. 20 5.0 DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................... 21 5.1 LACK OF EFFECTIVE PROMOTION AND AWARENESS IN TORONTO'S BLUE BIN .............................. 21 5.2 INCREASED CONTAMINATION IN TORONTO'S BLUE BIN ................................................................... 23 5.3 INCREASED COSTS WITH THE BLUE BIN AND ITS EFFECTS ON END-MARKETS ............................. 24 5.4 TORONTO'S BLUE BIN IN THE LONG RUN .............................................................................................. 25 5.5 OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE: DUAL STREAM SYSTEMS ...................................................................... 26 5.6 LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 28 5.6.1 SAMPLE SIZE ......................................................................................................................................... 28 5.6.2 PROPOSED EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ................................................................ 28 6.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................... 29 7.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 30 8.0 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................... 32 APPENDIX A. SURVEY DESIGN ........................................................................................................................ 32 APPENDIX B. REMAINING RESULTS FROM SURVEY ................................................................................... 34 APPENDIX C. RESPONSES ON WAYS TO LOWER THE CONTAMINATION RATE ................................... 35 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION Dramatic shifts in consumer consumption habits over the past years have resulted in an increase of waste. This increase has resulted in virgin materials being unable to naturally replenish at the same rate as they are consumed. The process of recycling reduces the need for virgin materials in manufacturing by reusing waste materials. While the concept of recycling is recognized, the contamination plaguing it is not. Contamination occurs when non-recyclable materials and waste are disposed of in recycling bins. This results in downstream challenges as recycling processors are unable to sort the contaminated materials due to improper disposal. As a result, these materials are sent to landfills. While improper disposal and contamination of recyclables are not widely discussed, recent events have resulted in greater importance being placed on higher quality recycling methods. Waste management is a complex task due to the growing population, changing nature of packaging waste, and limited landfill space. In Canada, waste management is regulated at a provincial level but carried out by municipalities who are required to develop their own waste management programs. Due to the differences in material acceptability in each municipality, for this research paper the City of Toronto and its Blue Bin Program will be investigated. Toronto is Canada's largest city and home to 2.95 million people (City of Toronto, 2018b). Since 2004, the City of Toronto has operated on a single stream recycling program where all household recyclables are collected in one Blue Bin (Stewardship Ontario, n.d.). This system has been cited as a successful recycling program in North America due to its ability to offer high diversion rates (diverted away from landfills) and low costs for municipalities. While this system is proclaimed to be easier and convenient for residents to dispose of their recyclables, the increasing contamination rate contradicts this. In 2019, the City of Toronto's contamination rate reached 30%, meaning almost a third of the recyclable collected ultimately ended up in landfills (Yazer, 2020). As markets demand for better quality recycled materials, it is crucial that the City find solutions to decreasing contamination and producing higher quality materials for end-markets. 5 When it comes to solutions for decreasing contamination and raising quality, alternative systems are not discussed at the government level. Currently, the City still relies on educating its residents about proper participation in its waste diversion program, yet these efforts have proven ineffective due to the continually increasing contamination rate. The central aim for this research was to answer the question, "Can a dual stream recycling system be beneficial for lowering the contamination rate in Toronto's Blue Bin Program?". To illustrate the viability of such system to the City of Toronto, a thorough analysis of the current single stream program was conducted in order to identify its shortcomings. In addition, a survey was conducted to collect data on residents' current recycling knowledge and actions, as well as willingness to participate in alternative systems such as a dual stream program. 6 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW While there has been much research