Residential waste combustion

The Joint Action Implementation Coordinating Committee of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has identified residential waste combustion as one of the largest sources of dioxin and furan releases. This report recommends a federal, provincial and community level framework to address the issue of residential waste combustion in Canada in order to reduce emissions of dioxins and furans. It also reviewed Canada's existing regulatory regime for on-site residential waste combustion and presented 6 exemplary initiatives in Canada and the United States designed to address residential waste management practice. These initiatives were implemented using legislation, bylaws and educational tools. In general, on-site residential waste combustion is practiced in rural areas and small towns. It is a non-point source of pollution resulting from domestic incinerators such as barrels and backyard fire pits. This study also estimated the Canadian Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxin and Polychlorinated Dibenzofuran emissions from this source. It was concluded that provincial governments are best situated to promote policy initiatives that will lead to actions at the local government level. 111 refs., 2 tabs., 1 fig., 4 appendices