#RCBC2019 Presentation Summaries
Wednesday, May 8
Session One and Opening Keynote: Reducing Waste Through Market Forces of the Circular Economy (Sponsored by Product Care Recycling)
Jonathan Arnold, Canada's Ecofiscal Commission
In his opening keynote, Jonathan Arnold will highlight waste reduction policies from an economics perspective, exploring market instruments that can make waste management more efficient and less costly.
Session Two: Town Hall Multi-Sector Issues Overview
Moderated by Christina Seidel and Harvinder Aujala
Session Three: Bin, Sins, and Public Buy-In
Moderated by Jodi Tomchyshyn London, JTL Consulting
Metal Theft: A Public Safety Issue - Gary Rodrick, Telus BC
TELUS Senior Security Investigator Gary Rodricks will provide an overview on the issue of metal theft, exploring what metals thieves target, how metal and wire theft impacts communities and businesses, and what you can do to tackle the issue.
Bins Don't Recycle, People Do: Engaging Community in Streetside Recycling Efforts - Emily Willobee, West Vancouver
Recycling effectively in public spaces can be challenging. In this presentation, Emily Willobee will discuss how West Vancouver’s pilot project and subsequent expansion plans for streetside recycling have included considerable engagement with local partners. Targeted community outreach is crucial for encouraging residents to do their part and make public space recycling a success.
Best Practices for Maximizing Recycling in Public Spaces - Alec Cooley, Busch Systems
Turmoil in global recycling markets and high rates of contamination are forcing recycling companies to restrict what they can accept. This presentation will explain the high level industry trends impacting delegate recycling programs, as well as best practices to address contamination and operational efficiency issues. Alec Cooley will talk about how bin design can influence recycling behavior while addressing operational issues such as ergonomics and fire safety.
Enhancing Solid Waste Diversion - Sarah Miller, Recycle Smart Solutions
(Details forthcoming)
Thursday, May 9
Session Four and Plastics Keynote: Turning the Tide on Ocean Waste (Sponsored by CPIA)
Moderated by Joe Hruska, Canadian Plastics Industry Association
Keynote from Chloe Dubois, Ocean Legacy Foundation
Chloe Dubois is co-founder and president of Ocean Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization that employs spatial mapping, research/cleanup expeditions, and plastic-to-fuel technologies to develop its marine debris solutions program. Dubois will share this dynamic and integrative approach that combines sustainable technologies with skills training to tackle plastic waste and debris.
Initiatives to Reduce Plastics in the Environment at Home and Abroad - Sarah Marshall, NOVA Chemicals
In a talk titled Sustainability & Citizenship, Sarah Marshall of NOVA Chemicals will speak about the plastic value chain’s commitment to advance solutions to reduce plastic entering the environment, and the ocean in particular. She will also discuss NOVA Chemical’s action on marine plastic reduction from the global to the local level, and additional areas of focus to move towards a plastics circular economy.
Agricultural Plastics Recycling: Moving Beyond the Pilot Phase - Kim Timmer, Cleanfarms
As the organization’s signature recycling program for empty pesticide & fertilizer containers marks its 30th anniversary, the Cleanfarms team is preparing to launch additional EPR programs to support Canada’s agriculture sector. This presentation will provide an overview of how Cleanfarms is moving agricultural plastics recycling forward across Canada. Topics to be discussed include an honest look at the highs & lows of this journey, adaptation or translation of messaging to better accommodate target audiences, and lessons learned from the launch of Canada’s (and North America’s) first government-regulated agricultural plastics recycling program in Saskatchewan.
Implementing Vancouver's Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy - Monica Kosmak, City of Vancouver
This presentation will provide an update on the City of Vancouver’s work to develop by-laws for:
- A ban on serving prepared food in foam cups and foam take-out containers beginning January 1, 2020.
-A ban on the majority of plastic straws beginning in April 2020, while requiring provisions such as bendable plastic straws to be available upon request for accessibility.
- Further actions, such as by-law requirements, enforcement, phasing, and education plans for plastic and paper shopping bags, disposable cups, and single-use utensils to be announced by November 30, 2020.
Session Five: 25 Years of EPR in BC
Moderated by Laura Selanders, Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association
An EPR Overview - Bob Mcdonald, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change
(Details forthcoming)
Redefining How People Recycle in BC - Allen Langdon, Return-It
Return-It is in the process of fully implementing their Express service throughout the Lower Mainland and across the province. This is just one of the ways Return-It is redefining how people recycle in BC. In this 25th anniversary presentation, President and CEO Allen Langdon will speak to the new pilot programs Return-It is launching and highlight important partnerships that showcase new and innovative ways Return-It is using to connect with communities, provide a social purpose, and increase environmental benefits.
25 Years and Growing - Mark Kurschner, Product Care
(Details forthcoming)
Consumer Education for Better Recycling: A Case Study Driven by Keurig-Recycle BC Collaboration - Cynthia Shanks, Keurig Canada, and Lyndsey Chauhan, Recycle BC
As part of a larger set of sustainability goals, Keurig committed to convert all K-Cup® pods in Canada to a recyclable format by the end of 2018 – two years ahead of the company’s North American goal of 2020. To achieve this ambitious target aimed at diverting waste from landfills, Keurig deployed a rigorous and collaborative approach working with leaders from the recycling and plastic industries, one of which was Recycle BC. Such collaborative work helps ensure that Recycle BC can respond to the constant evolution of packaging types and continue to evolve and innovate to capture and recycle the greatest amount of materials possible.
Session Six: The Circular Economy
Moderated by Mikhael Metauro, Cascades Recovery
Project Zero: Towards a Circular Economy on Vancouver Island - Jill Doucette, Synergy Sustainability Institute
In 2019, Synergy Sustainability Institute launched Project Zero in partnership with Vancity and support from Victoria Foundation and the City of Victoria. Project Zero is a campaign, policy framework, and entrepreneurial incubator formed to catalyze the development towards a circular economy. Activities include promoting change in policy, conducting new research in how zero waste initiatives can create inclusive economies, shifting supply chains and business practices, creating unique waste-to-resource partnerships, and helping entrepreneurs develop their business plans for new zero waste venture concepts.
The Circular Economy of Scrap Metal Recycling - Randy Kahlon, ABC Recycling
Scrap metal recycling as a category is the world’s most recycled commodities, providing some of the most beneficial impacts to the global environment. The economical, environmental, and regulatory frameworks recyclers work within constantly change – sometimes abruptly – and the impact is felt throughout whole supply chains, from point of manufacturer to end-user consumer. This presentation will help delegates better understand the reasons for metal market fluctuations, strategize metal commodity sales to recyclers, and provide awareness for their business/region to become more sustainable players within the industry.
Advancing the Circular Economy via Industrial Symbiosis: Lessons from the NISP Canada Pilot - Tracy Casavant, NISP Canada
This presentation will provide a brief history of Industrial Symbiosis (IS), and illustrate its growth from a UK pilot to being applied around the globe. A number of case studies will be used to illustrate the sort and magnitude of waste management improvements and other environmental and social benefits achievable through the application of IS. The presentation will also provide an overview of NISP Canada activities, focusing on the pilot regions of Greater Edmonton and Metro Vancouver. Success stories from this Canadian launch will be discussed, including quantified results and benefits, along with an update of NISP Canada expansion into other regions.
Session Seven: Share, Reuse, and Repair
Moderated by Rosemary Cooper, SSRI
Community Sharing - Chris Diplock, The Thingery
(Details forthcoming)
Repair Cafes - Leanne Koehn, Ridge Meadows Recycling Society
Repair Cafes began in the Netherlands exactly 10 years ago this year by Martine Postma. Since then, the Repair Café Foundation has assisted others to start up their own Cafes. There are now over 1500 Repair Cafes worldwide, and a growing movement for “Right to Repair” legislation. In addition to keeping things out of the landfill and combatting a “throw away” mentality, Repair Cafes are places where community gathers, where neighbours help neighbours, where the knowledge accumulated over a lifetime is valued and shared, where the stories of WHY broken items were kept are revealed, and where connections are made and value is restored.
Repairing Plastic Bumpers for Reuse - Al Boflo, BumperNow Plastics
Metro Vancouver has banned automotive parts, including bumpers, from the landfill. However, evidence suggests that most autobody shops in the Lower Mainland are resorting to disposing and burying their plastic bumper covers in their private garbage bins. Reclaim Plastics is creating a closed loop to this constant waste stream, providing local employment, and putting the concept of a circular economy into practice. Reclaim Plastics’ goals are to expand into other ICI plastics and serve more industries; Reclaim continues to research ways to add value to its processing operations, maximize returns from low value plastics, and create a more sustainable, long-term solution for plastic waste.
Friday, May 10
Session Eight: Organics Diversion, Part 1
Fraser Valley Food Recovery Network - Jamie Benton, Fraser Valley Regional District
In 2018 the Fraser Valley Regional District and FoodMesh decided to work together to form a regional food recovery network. FoodMesh is like an online dating agency for food that would otherwise get wasted; it matches unsold food to a verified network of businesses and charities. This presentation will showcase how government, non-profits, and businesses can work together to help reduce and re-use waste that has multiple benefits across our region.
Reducing Our 'Food'print: Creating Canada's First Circular Food Economy - Vivian De Giovanni and Heather Connell, City of Guelph
Imagine a food system where there is no waste and where every person has access to affordable, nutritious food.
Imagine a living lab that promotes collaboration between food entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, and social innovators – a rural-urban partnership that leverages technology to make it possible. Guelph-Wellington wants to solve food problems using strategies to find value in the outputs that the current system treats as waste – the by-products of an unsustainable linear food system. Our Smart Cities Challenge proposal outlines how we want to be Canada’s first circular food economy, bringing our food system and communities back into a healthy balance.
How Semi-Underground Collection is an Ideal Waste Collection Method - Tim Corcoran, Molok North America
In the course of this presentation, Tim Corcoran will review the semi-underground waste collection system and its emptying method, and review the findings of a third-party temperature and odour study. He will provide examples of the product, demonstrating its ease of use and economic advantages to the end user, developer, landowner and environment.
Session Nine: Organics Diversion, Part 2
Westin Sustainability - Regine Varley, Westin Whistler Spa and Resort
(details forthcoming)
Small Groups, Big Steps! - Oliver Berger, Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society
Oliver Berger will speak about the services the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society provides to their city and regional district:
• Providing school outreach, waste audits, trash talks
• Conducting field trips through waste facilities called Dump Tours
• Reaching out to businesses on how and where they can divert their garbage.
• Promoting restaurants using sustainable packaging materials and local sourcing practices.
• Connecting farmers with businesses to use food waste as feedstock.
• Operating the local composting facility which accepts both residential and commercial food waste
• Organizing random litter pickups to showcase separation processes.
• Arranging green events like Earth Friendly holiday events and community repair cafes
• Collaborating on public endeavours where locals want to affect changes within the community.
Session One and Opening Keynote: Reducing Waste Through Market Forces of the Circular Economy (Sponsored by Product Care Recycling)
Jonathan Arnold, Canada's Ecofiscal Commission
In his opening keynote, Jonathan Arnold will highlight waste reduction policies from an economics perspective, exploring market instruments that can make waste management more efficient and less costly.
Session Two: Town Hall Multi-Sector Issues Overview
Moderated by Christina Seidel and Harvinder Aujala
Session Three: Bin, Sins, and Public Buy-In
Moderated by Jodi Tomchyshyn London, JTL Consulting
Metal Theft: A Public Safety Issue - Gary Rodrick, Telus BC
TELUS Senior Security Investigator Gary Rodricks will provide an overview on the issue of metal theft, exploring what metals thieves target, how metal and wire theft impacts communities and businesses, and what you can do to tackle the issue.
Bins Don't Recycle, People Do: Engaging Community in Streetside Recycling Efforts - Emily Willobee, West Vancouver
Recycling effectively in public spaces can be challenging. In this presentation, Emily Willobee will discuss how West Vancouver’s pilot project and subsequent expansion plans for streetside recycling have included considerable engagement with local partners. Targeted community outreach is crucial for encouraging residents to do their part and make public space recycling a success.
Best Practices for Maximizing Recycling in Public Spaces - Alec Cooley, Busch Systems
Turmoil in global recycling markets and high rates of contamination are forcing recycling companies to restrict what they can accept. This presentation will explain the high level industry trends impacting delegate recycling programs, as well as best practices to address contamination and operational efficiency issues. Alec Cooley will talk about how bin design can influence recycling behavior while addressing operational issues such as ergonomics and fire safety.
Enhancing Solid Waste Diversion - Sarah Miller, Recycle Smart Solutions
(Details forthcoming)
Thursday, May 9
Session Four and Plastics Keynote: Turning the Tide on Ocean Waste (Sponsored by CPIA)
Moderated by Joe Hruska, Canadian Plastics Industry Association
Keynote from Chloe Dubois, Ocean Legacy Foundation
Chloe Dubois is co-founder and president of Ocean Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization that employs spatial mapping, research/cleanup expeditions, and plastic-to-fuel technologies to develop its marine debris solutions program. Dubois will share this dynamic and integrative approach that combines sustainable technologies with skills training to tackle plastic waste and debris.
Initiatives to Reduce Plastics in the Environment at Home and Abroad - Sarah Marshall, NOVA Chemicals
In a talk titled Sustainability & Citizenship, Sarah Marshall of NOVA Chemicals will speak about the plastic value chain’s commitment to advance solutions to reduce plastic entering the environment, and the ocean in particular. She will also discuss NOVA Chemical’s action on marine plastic reduction from the global to the local level, and additional areas of focus to move towards a plastics circular economy.
Agricultural Plastics Recycling: Moving Beyond the Pilot Phase - Kim Timmer, Cleanfarms
As the organization’s signature recycling program for empty pesticide & fertilizer containers marks its 30th anniversary, the Cleanfarms team is preparing to launch additional EPR programs to support Canada’s agriculture sector. This presentation will provide an overview of how Cleanfarms is moving agricultural plastics recycling forward across Canada. Topics to be discussed include an honest look at the highs & lows of this journey, adaptation or translation of messaging to better accommodate target audiences, and lessons learned from the launch of Canada’s (and North America’s) first government-regulated agricultural plastics recycling program in Saskatchewan.
Implementing Vancouver's Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy - Monica Kosmak, City of Vancouver
This presentation will provide an update on the City of Vancouver’s work to develop by-laws for:
- A ban on serving prepared food in foam cups and foam take-out containers beginning January 1, 2020.
-A ban on the majority of plastic straws beginning in April 2020, while requiring provisions such as bendable plastic straws to be available upon request for accessibility.
- Further actions, such as by-law requirements, enforcement, phasing, and education plans for plastic and paper shopping bags, disposable cups, and single-use utensils to be announced by November 30, 2020.
Session Five: 25 Years of EPR in BC
Moderated by Laura Selanders, Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association
An EPR Overview - Bob Mcdonald, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change
(Details forthcoming)
Redefining How People Recycle in BC - Allen Langdon, Return-It
Return-It is in the process of fully implementing their Express service throughout the Lower Mainland and across the province. This is just one of the ways Return-It is redefining how people recycle in BC. In this 25th anniversary presentation, President and CEO Allen Langdon will speak to the new pilot programs Return-It is launching and highlight important partnerships that showcase new and innovative ways Return-It is using to connect with communities, provide a social purpose, and increase environmental benefits.
25 Years and Growing - Mark Kurschner, Product Care
(Details forthcoming)
Consumer Education for Better Recycling: A Case Study Driven by Keurig-Recycle BC Collaboration - Cynthia Shanks, Keurig Canada, and Lyndsey Chauhan, Recycle BC
As part of a larger set of sustainability goals, Keurig committed to convert all K-Cup® pods in Canada to a recyclable format by the end of 2018 – two years ahead of the company’s North American goal of 2020. To achieve this ambitious target aimed at diverting waste from landfills, Keurig deployed a rigorous and collaborative approach working with leaders from the recycling and plastic industries, one of which was Recycle BC. Such collaborative work helps ensure that Recycle BC can respond to the constant evolution of packaging types and continue to evolve and innovate to capture and recycle the greatest amount of materials possible.
Session Six: The Circular Economy
Moderated by Mikhael Metauro, Cascades Recovery
Project Zero: Towards a Circular Economy on Vancouver Island - Jill Doucette, Synergy Sustainability Institute
In 2019, Synergy Sustainability Institute launched Project Zero in partnership with Vancity and support from Victoria Foundation and the City of Victoria. Project Zero is a campaign, policy framework, and entrepreneurial incubator formed to catalyze the development towards a circular economy. Activities include promoting change in policy, conducting new research in how zero waste initiatives can create inclusive economies, shifting supply chains and business practices, creating unique waste-to-resource partnerships, and helping entrepreneurs develop their business plans for new zero waste venture concepts.
The Circular Economy of Scrap Metal Recycling - Randy Kahlon, ABC Recycling
Scrap metal recycling as a category is the world’s most recycled commodities, providing some of the most beneficial impacts to the global environment. The economical, environmental, and regulatory frameworks recyclers work within constantly change – sometimes abruptly – and the impact is felt throughout whole supply chains, from point of manufacturer to end-user consumer. This presentation will help delegates better understand the reasons for metal market fluctuations, strategize metal commodity sales to recyclers, and provide awareness for their business/region to become more sustainable players within the industry.
Advancing the Circular Economy via Industrial Symbiosis: Lessons from the NISP Canada Pilot - Tracy Casavant, NISP Canada
This presentation will provide a brief history of Industrial Symbiosis (IS), and illustrate its growth from a UK pilot to being applied around the globe. A number of case studies will be used to illustrate the sort and magnitude of waste management improvements and other environmental and social benefits achievable through the application of IS. The presentation will also provide an overview of NISP Canada activities, focusing on the pilot regions of Greater Edmonton and Metro Vancouver. Success stories from this Canadian launch will be discussed, including quantified results and benefits, along with an update of NISP Canada expansion into other regions.
Session Seven: Share, Reuse, and Repair
Moderated by Rosemary Cooper, SSRI
Community Sharing - Chris Diplock, The Thingery
(Details forthcoming)
Repair Cafes - Leanne Koehn, Ridge Meadows Recycling Society
Repair Cafes began in the Netherlands exactly 10 years ago this year by Martine Postma. Since then, the Repair Café Foundation has assisted others to start up their own Cafes. There are now over 1500 Repair Cafes worldwide, and a growing movement for “Right to Repair” legislation. In addition to keeping things out of the landfill and combatting a “throw away” mentality, Repair Cafes are places where community gathers, where neighbours help neighbours, where the knowledge accumulated over a lifetime is valued and shared, where the stories of WHY broken items were kept are revealed, and where connections are made and value is restored.
Repairing Plastic Bumpers for Reuse - Al Boflo, BumperNow Plastics
Metro Vancouver has banned automotive parts, including bumpers, from the landfill. However, evidence suggests that most autobody shops in the Lower Mainland are resorting to disposing and burying their plastic bumper covers in their private garbage bins. Reclaim Plastics is creating a closed loop to this constant waste stream, providing local employment, and putting the concept of a circular economy into practice. Reclaim Plastics’ goals are to expand into other ICI plastics and serve more industries; Reclaim continues to research ways to add value to its processing operations, maximize returns from low value plastics, and create a more sustainable, long-term solution for plastic waste.
Friday, May 10
Session Eight: Organics Diversion, Part 1
Fraser Valley Food Recovery Network - Jamie Benton, Fraser Valley Regional District
In 2018 the Fraser Valley Regional District and FoodMesh decided to work together to form a regional food recovery network. FoodMesh is like an online dating agency for food that would otherwise get wasted; it matches unsold food to a verified network of businesses and charities. This presentation will showcase how government, non-profits, and businesses can work together to help reduce and re-use waste that has multiple benefits across our region.
Reducing Our 'Food'print: Creating Canada's First Circular Food Economy - Vivian De Giovanni and Heather Connell, City of Guelph
Imagine a food system where there is no waste and where every person has access to affordable, nutritious food.
Imagine a living lab that promotes collaboration between food entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, and social innovators – a rural-urban partnership that leverages technology to make it possible. Guelph-Wellington wants to solve food problems using strategies to find value in the outputs that the current system treats as waste – the by-products of an unsustainable linear food system. Our Smart Cities Challenge proposal outlines how we want to be Canada’s first circular food economy, bringing our food system and communities back into a healthy balance.
How Semi-Underground Collection is an Ideal Waste Collection Method - Tim Corcoran, Molok North America
In the course of this presentation, Tim Corcoran will review the semi-underground waste collection system and its emptying method, and review the findings of a third-party temperature and odour study. He will provide examples of the product, demonstrating its ease of use and economic advantages to the end user, developer, landowner and environment.
Session Nine: Organics Diversion, Part 2
Westin Sustainability - Regine Varley, Westin Whistler Spa and Resort
(details forthcoming)
Small Groups, Big Steps! - Oliver Berger, Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society
Oliver Berger will speak about the services the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society provides to their city and regional district:
• Providing school outreach, waste audits, trash talks
• Conducting field trips through waste facilities called Dump Tours
• Reaching out to businesses on how and where they can divert their garbage.
• Promoting restaurants using sustainable packaging materials and local sourcing practices.
• Connecting farmers with businesses to use food waste as feedstock.
• Operating the local composting facility which accepts both residential and commercial food waste
• Organizing random litter pickups to showcase separation processes.
• Arranging green events like Earth Friendly holiday events and community repair cafes
• Collaborating on public endeavours where locals want to affect changes within the community.
