Ontario government studies how to reduce residential construction waste entering landfill sites

Editor’s Note:  Press Release below is from Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga

$42,000 OTF Grant Supports Habitat’s Research into Sustainable Construction Waste Management

BURLINGTON, ON – On Friday, February 9, local MPP Eleanor McMahon and Katharine Bambrick, CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, joined members of the community at the Burlington ReStore to hear the results of a five-month study focusing on reducing the construction industry’s impact on landfills. In 2017, Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga (HFHHM) received a $42,000 Seed grant from OTF to study the issue in more depth.

“Our government is proud to support Habitat for Humanity’s environmental research project with a $42,000 grant through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, helping to make our communities more inclusive, livable and vibrant. We acknowledge its leadership in taking action and look forward to environmental benefits in the construction industry.” – the Hon. Eleanor McMahon, MPP for Burlington

The project focused on the need for more source separation to increase landfill diversion rates and reduce the construction industry’s impact on the environment. Source separation is the process of sorting waste on construction sites in order to keep reusable materials from landfills. Commercial construction is regulated to ensure proper source separation, but the same standards are not applied to residential homebuilding.

HFHHM announced their intention to work with multiple community partners to execute a pilot program to test new and innovative strategies to recycle and repurpose construction and demolition waste. The ReStore will have an integral role in the success of the pilot program, selling the salvaged building materials at greatly reduced prices. Currently over 600 metric tonnes of waste are kept out of landfills each year through the resale of usable merchandise and materials in our Restores.

“I would like to acknowledge the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s support with this grant,” said John Gerrard, CEO of HFFHM. “We are not simply changing the way we think about affordable housing in Halton and Mississauga, but now we know more about how we can help reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry in our region.”

 Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga is a nonprofit organization working toward a world where everyone has a decent and affordable place to call home. We bring communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. With the help of volunteers we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.habitathm.ca

An agency of the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is one of Canada’s largest granting foundations. With a budget of over $136 million, OTF awards grants to some 1,000 projects every year to build healthy and vibrant Ontario communities. www.otf.ca