Niagara Region has maintained its waste diversion target, striving to divert 65 per cent of residential waste from Niagara’s landfills through its Blue Box, Grey Box, Green Bin recycling and other diversion programs.

The target timeline was extended from 2012 to 2020 and a new interim goal of 56 per cent waste diversion by the year 2016 was set.

Niagara’s diversion rate in 2011 was 51 per cent, landing Niagara in the top six among municipalities in Ontario with populations greater than 250 thousand.

In the same group, Niagara had the fourth lowest net Blue and Grey Box program cost in 2011.

One factor in Niagara’s high diversion rates and top performance is the two-stream recycling system.

Niagara residents sort their Blue Box and Grey Box recyclables before they are collected at the curb.

This leads to a very low residual contamination rate of approximately two per cent.