Waste management systems: preparation for innovation

Winter 2021

Durham Region is one of the fastest growing municipalities in North America with its population expected to grow to approximately 1 million by 2041 from an estimated 700,000 people today. Rapid, diverse population growth and urban intensification will impact the Region’s future service delivery models and the amount of waste the Region will manage.

The Region developed its initial Long-Term Waste Management Strategy Plan in 1999 to cover the twenty years to 2020.  The Region is now undertaking the development of a new Long-Term Waste Management Plan for the nextension twenty years. This project involved research into developing an understanding of the current and future conditions and pressures acting on the waste management sector.  The project also identified potential implications including disruptive technologies as well as innovations, emerging practices within the industry and provide recommendations that could enhance the Region’s integrated waste management system. This research will complement the ongoing development of the Long-Term Waste Management Plan, as well as planning activities for new or modified waste management infrastructure.