Alberta's rapid economic and population growth have increased the pressure on the province's waste infrastructure. That's why Alberta has developed a new waste strategy, Too Good To Waste.

The new strategy is a road map for waste reduction and management in the province. It identifies the opportunities, outcomes and strategies to help Alberta move forward with innovative waste management programs. Alberta's goal is to decrease the amount of material sent to landfills from 806 to 500 kg/capita by the year 2010. Three main objectives have been identified to help us achieve this goal.

1. Albertans take responsibility for resource conservation and waste minimization.
2. Waste management systems are integrated to provide the capacity for processing and/or recovery of materials that would otherwise be disposed of as wastes.
3. Facilities and practices to manage secondary materials and wastes are protective of air, land, water and human health.

The first action in Too Good To Waste is a new paint stewardship program that will enable Albertans to recycle used or leftover paint. Other actions include a construction and demolition program and a paper and packaging program, both aimed at significantly reducing the amount of waste sent to municipal landfills.

See also:

• Waste Facts
• Alberta Recycling Information Line
• Information Centre for more Waste Publications
• Waste Reduction Week

From annual waste management reports to daily air quality monitoring, Alberta Environment and Water provides a wide range of reports and data as part of its commitment to transparency of information. (For reports not found on this site, please contact the Information Centre or Library Services.)