Solid Waste
Solid waste management includes reduction, reuse, recovering, recycling, composting or any disposal of solid waste including office waste.
The objectives of managing solid waste in an environmentally-sound manner are to reduce the negative impacts of landfills. These negative environmental impacts include loss of productive land, loss of aesthetic value, smell, contamination and community impacts as well as methane (a greenhouse gas) production. The goals of managing solid waste, along with reducing negative environmental impacts, is to comply with regulations, meet public expectations, and reduce costs.Landfills are being loaded at an increasing rate and waste disposal costs are rising. Many of the items that are disposed of can be diverted from the landfill, reused or recycled. Paper and paper products make up about half of the waste found in landfills. By reducing the amount of solid waste being sent to landfill sites, the Government of Canada can significantly reduce its ecological footprint.
Hazardous Waste
Hazardous materials are potentially harmful to living organisms because they are corrosive, flammable, reactive, biological, radioactive or toxic. These items cannot normally be included with municipal solid waste.
The objectives of hazardous waste management are to minimize the environmental, human and ecological health and financial impacts of the disposal of hazardous waste while reducing the risks of releases and contamination to land, air and water.
The safe management of hazardous waste has long been an issue for federal facility operations. The Government of Canada is committed to putting its federal house in order and proper hazardous waste management is part of this commitment.
