The Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA) has released a report card detailing Ontario municipalities’ use of recycled aggregates.
Compiled via independent research commissioned by TARBA, the study into the use of recycled aggregate found many municipalities in Ontario have policies that prohibit or severely limit the use of recycled asphalt and concrete in road construction and other public works.
This means that millions of tonnes of material is being stockpiled in mountains of urban rubble or dumped in landfill.
“And that’s a terrible waste of a valuable resource,” said Rob Bradford, executive director of TARBA.
Municipalities with low rates of concrete and asphalt recycling are also forfeiting opportunities to help the environment by lowering fuel consumption and greenhouse gases associated with trucking new aggregate, diverting used aggregate from the waste stream, lessening the impact of quarry operations and building more sustainable infrastructure, according to TARBA.
The research examined the aggregate recycling policies and practices of five regional and 15 single or lower-tier municipalities in Ontario. The study was conducted in July and August 2018.
Recycled aggregate rankings
The study identified the municipalities which are the worst performers in recycling aggregate. The ‘laggards’ include Mississauga, which ranked last with a score of 4 out of 100; Oshawa(10); Peel Region (14); Durham Region (20); Niagara Region (32); Halton Region (34); Brampton (38); Windsor (40); and Kingston (40).
The municipalities in the middle of the pack include: Burlington (44); Waterloo (46); Barrie (46); and Hamilton (48).
Those ranked as the ‘leaders’ are: Ottawa (54); York Region (56); London (58); Kitchener (58); Markham (64); Cambridge(72); and at the top of the list is Toronto (76).
“While there is room for improvement even among the “leaders”, the municipalities in the middle group and especially the ‘laggards’ need to change their policies and tendering specifications so they support —rather than hamper — aggregate recycling,” TARBA said in a news release.
Currently, only about 7 per cent of the aggregate needed in Ontario comes from recycled sources. In contrast, some European countries use up to 20 per cent recycled aggregate. Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation also uses about 20 per cent recycled materials in its highway construction.
“(Municipalities) should be doing a much better job, a much greener job, of recycling asphalt and concrete,” Bradford said. “They need to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”
Guelph, Vaughan, Oakville, Brantford and Oshawa declined to respond to the survey. TARBA was able to obtain data on Oshawa from other sources. Waterloo Region provided only partial data.
“Residents have a right to know whether their municipality is doing a good job — or not — of recycling asphalt and concrete,” Bradford said.
TARBA has joined with other industry groups to launch a campaign to raise public awareness of this issue. The supporting organizations include: the Heavy Construction Association of Toronto (HCAT), Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA) and Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO).
The group plans to continue to monitor the municipalities and make similar reports in the future.
“It is our hope that public awareness of this issue will bring about positive change and improved aggregate recycling in the years ahead,” Bradford said.
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