By Scott Manser

I am a registered Toxic Reduction Planner.  ORTECH has worked on over 100 reports for our various clients.  I wanted to provide you with some feedback  from this training session I attended recently.

“From Planning to Implementation (Toxic Reduction Workshop; March 19th, 2014, Toronto, Ontario)

My summary of the top 10 key points summarizing the recent Ministry of Environment hosted workshop for Toxic Reduction Planners:

• Most facilities had to report 5 or fewer Toxic substances,
• 1,010 total facilities reporting to TRA,
• Approximately 40% of the reporting facilities indicated they will implement at least one reduction option,
• Top 3 Categories for Implementation (Equipment/Process Modification; Operating Practice; On-site Reuse / Recycling),
• Criteria Air Contaminants – Particulate.  The MOECC has agreed to the definition that for the purpose of the Toxic Reduction Act particulate (PM, PM10, PM2.5) refers to airborne particulate,
• A number of planners shared their experiences with the Toxic Reduction Planning process.  Most planners reported results / experiences similar to that of ORTECH,
• One workshop presenter indicated consistent success in identifying options for implementation, however reduction quantities were generally less than 1,
• Some excellent presentations on Green Chemistry and research work that is due to come onto market within the next 3-5 years.   (Queen’s and Trent University),
• Based upon the general Question and Answer period following the presentations it would appear that the majority of Planners are frustrated by the process and didn’t really feel they had much success in making significant inroads towards Toxic Reductions, and
• The MOECC has created an interactive map showing the location of reporting facilities with a link to the annual accounting and plan summaries ( http://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/toxics-reduction-program ).