City wins highest municipal honour for its waste diversion efforts

For immediate release (October 19, 2012) – The Recycling Council of Ontario honoured the City of Orillia and its residents last night with the highest award possible given to a municipality for waste diversion.

The City of Orillia won the Platinum Municipal Diversion Award at the RCO’s Waste Minimization Awards. This is the first time the City has won the highest honour.

The awards recognize municipalities that in 2011 minimized waste disposal through 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The City’s residential diversion rate in 2011 was 61%, continuing an upward trend in Orillia. Industry experts chose the City for the platinum award based on its waste diversion rate and waste-minimization programs offered to residents and internally at City facilities.

“This award recognizes the efforts of everyone in our community to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said Mayor Angelo Orsi. “I want to thank the residents of Orillia for making such a big difference to help the City continue as a leader in waste reduction and diversion.”

 “I feel very honoured that the citizens of Orillia have won this platinum award,” said Brian Mawdsley, Chair of the Waste Management Advisory Committee. “All their hard work at waste diversion and reduction is not going unnoticed and we should continue to strive for better diversion in the future.”

Orillia’s efforts have been working as residential diversion rates have increased over the last several years:

• 2011 – 61%
• 2010 – 58%
• 2009 – 54%
• 2008 – 53%

And initiatives like Orillia’s mandatory recycling and composting by-law and new recycling depots at the City’s waste diversion site for plastic flower pots and mattresses will work to ensure the municipality stays a leader in waste minimization and diversion in Ontario.

The RCO awards ceremony takes place during Waste Reduction Week in Canada, which runs from October 15^th to the 21^st. 

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Media contact information:                                   

Greg Preston

Superintendent of Waste Management                                                                         

City of Orillia

705-325-2444

gpreston@orillia.ca                                                                                

Joe Kim

Communications Manager

City of Orillia

705-325-8929

jkim@orillia.ca