Recyclable materials from receptacles in Ontario’s parks, playgrounds, transit stations and sidewalk locations are now mixed into the solid waste stream that is sent to landfill.

A new report to Toronto City Council reveals that just 24 permits to allow the sealing of garbage chutes have been issued to multi-residential landlords over the past 12 years.

Five newly announced initiatives are promised $92.7 million, aimed at improving recycling, reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill and curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Saskatchewan currently ranks second among Canadian provinces for per capita disposal, equating to 842 kilograms of waste per resident every year, but the provincial government is aiming for a 30 per cent reduction from 2014 levels by 2030.