Solid Waste Management - Frequently Asked Questions
Below are categories of frequently asked questions relating to curbside collection, landfills, composting and household hazardous waste. For more information please click the following links.
For additional information on the services provided to you by Solid Waste Management, please click below
1. What is Solid Waste Management?
Solid Waste Management is a division of the County of Simcoe, which is responsible for waste management services which include overseeing the curbside collection of waste and recycling for its 16 member municipalities maintaining and operating 4 active landfill sites and 4 transfer stations in addition to managing numerous closed landfill sites. Other duties include maintaining environmental compliance for the waste disposal facilities, develop future capacity planning, contract and collections administration (residential), and develop diversion initiatives.
For more information on other duties of Solid Waste Management, please click HERE
2. What is the Learning & Living Green program?
 |
The Learning & Living Green program is a partnership between the County of Simcoe and local school boards to provide collection of recyclable (elementary & secondary schools) and organic materials (elementary schools only) consistent with the materials accepted in the County of Simcoe residential recycling and green bin programs. The program is limited to those schools located within the geographic boundaries of the County of Simcoe and excludes those schools located within the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. |
For more information please read the Learning & Living Green Bulletins available HERE.
3. How will this program work in the school setting?
A pilot program was conducted at 3 local schools during the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 school years to determine what, if any barriers there were to implementing this program in the school setting. The pilot program was extremely successful as waste diversion increased from 37% to 79.5%. It was determined that there were few barriers to program implementation and that those encountered were easily mitigated through sound management practices.
4. Is this program different from the residential curbside program?
There is no difference, what is acceptable at home is now acceptable at school.
New blue box materials for the schools include: tetra pak containers (juice boxes), gable top containers (milk cartons), empty aerosol containers, spiral wound containers, aluminum plates and foil, and a wider range of plastics including plastic bottles, jugs and tubs marked, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7. New grey box materials include: construction paper, boxboard, coloured and kraft paper.