Economic growth, urbanisation and structures of consumption that are characteristic of modern day developed cities, such as Toronto, correlates with an increase in the amount of solid waste being produced. Increased purchasing power and the corresponding changes to consumption patterns favouring goods such as single-use plastic bottles and cups, clothing and expensive goods like electronics. This follows the linear economic model of industrial capitalism, as seen in figure 1. The stages of development show the extraction of resources, converting them into goods, human consumption and then simple disposal into landfill. However, the 21st century has seen a turn towards recycling and also a circular economy, as two solutions for dealing with the increased amounts of solid waste, instead of the typical landfill and burning. Toronto has a plan to achieve this and similar targets within the coming years. Repurposing goods that have been thrown away has increased in popularity across urban centres around the world (Alexander and Reno, 2012). This blog will discuss how Toronto deals with its solid waste and look to UPE concepts for discussion.
Waste matters for a variety of reasons. Modern society has produced the image that the environment, whether it be urban or rural, is clean and ordered and that capitalism has been relatively successful in dealing with our increased consumerism. Perhaps more than any other resource, waste exemplifies how modern development has shaped our expectations of modernity in comparison to how it is actually lived (Moore, 2009). In the case of Toronto, the increased focus of working towards a circular economy instead of sending to landfill shows a shift towards this idyllic image of modernity, where waste is dealt with efficiently and creates the fewest impacts on the environment, society and economic performance.
In Toronto, the latest landfill site to be in operation is that of the Green Lane Landfill site. The site takes in around 800 tonnes of recycled waste every day from the 800 garbage trucks that patrol the city each day. The site was bought and developed into a landfill site as the largest site, Keele Valley, was nearing capacity. Canada has one of the largest per capita waste productions in the world (Kaza et al., 2018). Due to Canada’s high economic development and GDP PPP is high, the consumption of goods means that inevitably waste production is going to be high.
A running theme throughout this series of blog posts concerns environmental justice. The site is located near to a settlement of Oneida Nation who complain of severe odours. This has been ongoing since 2010. It is typical throughout the US and Canada that waste sites have been located near to poorer or ethnic minority neighbourhoods. In this case, it is a First Nations settlement that is being impacted, and this issue has been a platform for this community to have their voice heard more. The Oneida have had the issue settled through financial relief, $4 per tonne from landfill and 4% of the gross revenue accumulated. This issue highlights the power relations between the state and society, or at least a certain section of society. The state has the financial and political prowess to simply strike a deal with the Nation, and in doing so can simply set a precedent for future issues.
UPE provides a perfect lens to assess how waste produces injustice in the distribution of power, urban resources and health outcomes. It also highlights the metabolic nature of the urban, and how resources come and go from the rural to the urban and to the rural again, in the case of many landfill sites. The life cycle of waste highlights the links between the social and biophysical systems (Gandy, 2004).
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Reference List
Alexander, C. and J. Reno. (eds.) (2012) Economies of Recycling: The Global Transformation of Materials, Values and Social Relations. Zed Books: New York. (1-26).
M. Gandy (2004) Rethinking urban metabolism: water, space and the modern city, City, 8 (3), 363-379.
Kaza, S., Yao, L. C., Bhada-Tata, P., Van Woerden, F. (2018) What a Waste 2.0 : A Global Snapshot of Solid Waste Management to 2050. Urban Development. Washington, DC: World Bank.
S. A. Moore (2009) The Excess of Modernity: Garbage Politics in Oaxaca, Mexico, The Professional Geographer, 61 (4), 426-437.
Additional Material
https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/canadas-dirty-secret
Urban Political Ecology 
This is very similar to what is seen in Las Vegas – the waste problem is disproportionately burdening the small ethnic minority groups living near to landfill. Vegas has seen success though, with residents demanding that the EPA strictly enforces waste management policies. It would be interesting to see whether the circular economy and upcycling is similar in Toronto as in Vegas, as Vegas is obviously more of a tourist city and has fewer permanent residents than Toronto.
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Thank you for your post. I think cities need to shift their perception of waste as something which is out of place or a sign of failure. Waste can provide opportunities, jobs and better livelihoods. It is positive to see that Toronto, like many other cities, are moving towards a circular economy. Toronto’s plan, which you hyperlinked provides much hope for the future. Cape Town is similarly progressing towards a more circular approach to waste.
I found similar issues in Cape Town, concerning the location of landfill sites. They are frequently located near informal settlements, out of sight from city life. The Oneida received financial compensation but is that enough? As you said, this has set a precedent future problems. The state has realised that environmental injustices can be resolved through money. The city needs to enforce policies to prevent further injustices such as the waste management policies in Las Vegas.
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