Cathy Curry
"I continue to help get information to residents on how to recycle. I want to see more recycling options in our parks and our City buildings. I will continue to support the City's and businesses' "take it back" programs and the "repair cafes" that have proven to be helpful. I would like to see more hazardous waste days or a dedicated place that people can go anytime to drop off the hazardous waste in multiple locations across the City. I would also like to see the dog waste bins in more helpful locations. I think the City can do more with the school boards to produce videos that students can watch that would encourage them to be leaders within their families to promote the circular economy."
James Murchison
"Since the province took over recycling responsibilities from the city, I assume the city now owns some excess capacity in recycling capabilities. If this is the case it should be fairly simple to use that capacity to recycle other items not currently collected, for example textiles.
That said, it's now possible to divert so much waste through our existing systems, but residents aren't fully using them. The city definitely needs to educate people on what can be recycled, even if it's no longer their responsibility. And there's also room for some 'carrot and stick' approaches to encourage people to use the services provided. It's still far too easy to simply throw things into the trash.
And no, I would not support an incinerator. Pumping our waste into the atmosphere is not a solution to any problem."
Rob Millan
"Keep increasing diversion, particularly organics and construction and demolition waste, and make reuse easier where it is cost-effective. Ottawa's three-item garbage limit is a reasonable tool, but any future restrictions should be based on measured results rather than symbolism.
For residual waste, I am open to landfill expansion, private capacity or waste-to-energy if a transparent lifecycle analysis shows the best combination of cost, emissions, reliability and environmental impact."