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NVCA chair advocates for provincial action on recycling and waste diversion

September 18, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Nottawasga Valley Conservation Authority is urging Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Honourable Todd McCarthy, to strengthen recycling regulations that affect small businesses, community organizations, and local infrastructure.

In a letter sent the week of Sept. 6, NVCA Chair and Bradford West Gwillimbury Councillor Jonathan Scott raised concerns about gaps in the current provincial recycling framework.

They say that without accessible services for small industrial, commercial, and institutional locations (IC&I), there is an increased risk of illegal dumping, blocked stormwater systems, degraded water quality, and heightened flood and erosion hazards.

“Conservation authorities are on the front lines of protecting people, property and ecosystems from flooding and pollution,” said Chair Scott. “When recycling isn’t accessible, the environmental costs show up directly in our creeks, rivers and stormwater systems.”

The NVCA’s Board of Directors has endorsed the call for provincial changes.

The letter specifically urges the province to amend Ontario’s recycling regulations, to extend small IC&I waste separation requirements to more businesses and institutions, and extend the Ontario Deposit Return Program to cover non-alcoholic beverage containers.

“Alongside our member municipalities, we are worried about a loss of recycling services to our downtown small businesses and places of worship resulting from unintended consequences in provincial regulations,” said Chair Scott. “We hope the province will address these concerns.”

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