Item - 2024.IE14.7

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommend that:

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services and the Executive Director, Environment and Climate to share the authorities previously granted by City Council in 2021.IE22.8 and 2023.IE9.3, and allow either Division head to separately enter into agreements to support the work of the City of Toronto’s Circular Economy and Innovation unit with those authorities.

The purpose of this interim report is to provide an update on the status of work to develop a 10-year Circular Economy Road Map strategy and implementation plan (Circular Economy Road Map) for Toronto, including the project's planned community engagement and consultation milestones. This report describes the project governance structure developed by staff in response to Toronto City Council's endorsement of the targets and actions outlined in the 2021 TransformTO NetZero Strategy (NetZero Strategy). Specifically, City of Toronto (City) staff established a project governance approach based on NetZero Strategy direction for Solid Waste Management Services, with involvement and leadership from other City Divisions, to develop a City-wide governance structure, strategy and policy framework for the circular economy.

In recognition of the cross-corporate opportunities presented by the City's circular economy transition, this report also provides an update on transferring the City of Toronto's circular economy and innovation program from Solid Waste Management Services to the Environment and Climate. As such, this report recommends the sharing of certain existing authorities authorized by Council to the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services with the Executive Director, Environment and Climate. Although Solid Waste Management Services will remain a leading Division in the development and implementation of Toronto's Circular Economy Road Map, moving the program to the Environment and Climate under Corporate Services is expected to improve staff's ability to achieve Council's circular economy goals.

Working towards a circular economy is vital to achieving Council's climate action targets, enabling sustainable consumption choices, and fostering economic resilience and prosperity. However, the City's circular economy transition cannot be achieved by the City government alone. It will require the participation of others outside of Toronto's municipal government and must include residents, businesses, industry, local communities, and other governments. It will also require a transformation in how society currently thinks about waste: from a problem to be hidden from sight, to a resource that can be captured to provide value and positive outcomes for the planet, the City, and its residents. As with existing City of Toronto circular economy initiatives such as the Circular Food Innovator's Fund¹, implementation of the circular economy program will continue to prioritize working with local businesses, other governments and partners, and key industry sectors to identify opportunities for economic prosperity.

¹ The Circular Food Innovators Fund, launched in 2024, is a program aimed at supporting market-ready business solutions to enable the elimination of single-use and takeaway items in Toronto and help to achieve a more circular food system for Toronto residents and businesses.