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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-008-19Clarington Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: General Government Committee Report Number: CSD-008-19 Date of Meeting: September 23, 2019 By-law Number: Submitted By: George Acorn, Acting Director of Community Services Frederick J. Horvath, Director of Operations Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, GAO Resolution#: GG-439-19 File Number: Report Subject: Single Use Plastics in Municipal Buildings Recommendations: 1. That Report CSD-008-19 be received; 2. That Council direct staff to develop and implement a program for the elimination of single use plastics in municipal facilities and buildings, where there exists an environmentally responsible alternative; 3. That staff report back to Council after six months on the highlights of the program and the results achieved; and 4. That the Clarington Public Library, Clarington Museums & Archives and Municipality owned/Board operated Community Halls and Arenas be advised of the decisions of Council. Page 39 Municipality of Clarington Page 2 Report CSD-008-19 Report Overview This report, prepared by Community Services and Operations staff, provides Council information on a proposed program to eliminate or reduce the use of single use plastics in municipal buildings and recreation facilities. This program would align with the Council Priority of Environmental Sustainability through the advancement of waste reduction initiatives. 1. Background 1.1. At the General Government Meeting of March 25, 2019, Resolution #GG-171-19 was approved stating "That Staff be directed to see what can be done about reducing their use at Clarington Council meetings or events the matter of single use plastic plates, cups and cutlery: and That Staff report back on the elimination of single use plastics in Clarington buildings". 1.2. Subsequently, at the Council meeting of May 21, 2019, Resolution #C-194-19 was approved stating "That the matter of banning of single use plastics (non -recyclable) from Municipal Buildings, where possible, be referred to Staff to report back at the September 23, 2019 General Government committee meeting". 1.3. Plastic pollution and the damages created are a global challenge not in dispute across many jurisdictions. Recently both the federal and provincial governments have taken steps to effectively address this challenge through improvements to the recycling of plastics and more importantly eliminating the use of single use plastics. 1.4. In April 2019, Durham Region banned the sale of non -carbonated bottled water at their Whitby Headquarters and are encouraging visitors to bring refillable containers for water when they attend the building. In addition, other single use plastics were eliminated at the food services operation and are being replaced with environmentally responsible alternatives. 2. Current Programs Blue Community Program 2.1. At the Council meeting of June 4, 2012, a resolution was passed declaring Clarington a "Blue Community", which effectively eliminated the sale and provision of bottled water at all municipal buildings and facilities. This did not impact Committee and Council meetings at the Municipal Administrative Centre (MAC) as bottled water was phased out a number of years prior. Municipality of Clarington Report CSD-008-19 Page 3 2.2. This resolution also approved the ban of non -recyclable utensils at Council and Municipal Staff working lunches when catered by an outside vendor, and further that staff continue to investigate and implement the use of recyclable and biodegradable products in concession operations. 2.3. The installation of water fountain/bottle fill stations in the Municipal Administrative Centre and municipal recreation centres has been beneficial in reducing the reliance on bottled water. Municipal Buildings/Facilities Recycling Program 2.4. Clarington has an effective recycling program in our municipal buildings and facilities and is available at all of our locations. Building Services coordinates waste collection at our various municipal buildings. Compost materials are also collected at the Municipal Administrative Centre. 2.5. The lunchroom and kitchenettes throughout the Municipal Administrative Centre utilize only reusable cups, bowls, plates and cutlery. Staff from time to time conduct waste audits at this building. The recent waste audit completed determined that the current program is resulting in a 64% (by weight) waste diversion with a potential to achieve a 78% diversion with increased staff/public education for appropriate disposal methods. Staff has set a goal of 80% diversion by Spring 2020 for MAC. 2.6. Staff continue to work with external contractors for the provision of waste receptacles that offer recyclables and waste streams at 56 locations across Clarington. Our Parks staff works with Waste Management Inc. for the drop-off and pick-up of blue box recycling at the various Business Improvement Areas' special events. 3. Proposed Program and Initiatives Municipal Buildings/Facilities 3.1. Community Services and Operations staff will complete an audit of our buildings and facilities to identify opportunities where single use plastic can be eliminated and replaced with environmentally responsible alternative products. Assistance will be sought from the Purchasing Department in this review. 3.2. An information campaign will be developed to promote the initiatives we are implementing that will heighten awareness with staff, community partners and the general public who visit our buildings. 3.3. Staff will review current practices for recycling in buildings/facilities to identify areas for improvement to increase the level of diversion of the waste generated by staff and the public. Municipality of Clarington Report CSD-008-19 Municipal Arena Concession Operations Page 4 3.4. The Municipality is in a partnership with Participation House Durham (PHD) for the operation of the concessions at two of our arena facilities. In preparation for this report, Community Services staff had discussions with PHD to discuss how they can support our initiative. 3.5. They were very receptive and are willing to align their operation with this municipal priority and will be making the following changes: - replace plastic straws with biodegradable or paper straws - replace plastic forks, spoons and stir sticks with wooden utensils - discontinue single use condiment packaging and replace with refillable containers - discontinue individual cream and milk packets, using refillable thermal flasks - continue to investigate environmentally responsible options for other products they use Catering — Outside Contractors 3.6. Implementing these initiatives with outside catering companies will prove to be a bigger challenge, due to the variety of private events and the potential number of caterers that would be serving these events. 3.7. Staff are committed to expand the single use plastic elimination to include these private events at municipally operated facilities. Vending Operations 3.8. Staff will examine the feasibility of available options for the provision of carbonated soft drinks under the current supply contract the Municipality has with Coca-Cola Canada. 4. Concurrence Not Applicable. 5. Conclusion The proposed program aligns with Council's Strategic Priority of Environmental Sustainability through the advancement of waste reduction initiatives and staff are confident the proposed efforts will be effective in addressing this priority. Staff Contact: George Acorn, Acting Director of Community Services, 905-623-3379 ext. 2502 or gacorn(a)-clarington.net.; Frederick J. Horvath, Director of Operations, 905-623-3379 ext. 2902 or fhorvath ,clarington.net Municipality of Clarington Report CSD-008-19 5. Conclusion Page 5 The proposed program aligns with Council's Strategic Priority of Environmental Sustainability through the advancement of waste reduction initiatives and staff are confident the proposed efforts will be effective in addressing this priority. Staff Contact: George Acorn, Acting Director of Community Services, 905-623-3379 ext. 2502 or gacorn(aclarington.net.; Frederick J. Horvath, Director of Operations, 905-623-3379 ext. 2902 or fhorvath(a_clarington.net Page 43