Circular Economy and St. John's

The City of St. John's is one of 15 local governments that have been selected to participate in the Canadian Circular Cities & Regions Initiative's (CCRI) Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Network, designed to promote job creation and sustainable practices in Canada.

The effects of our current 'take-make-waste' economy are being felt in cities and regions (source). Cities are where:

• 75% of natural resources are consumed,
• 50% of global waste is produced, and
• between 60-80% of greenhouse gases are emitted. 

This provides opportunity for local governments and their communities to lead the way in the transition to a circular economy – where waste is designed out, natural systems are regenerated, and products and materials are kept at their highest utility and value.

Developing a circular economy roadmap for our community is the primary goal of the City of St. John's involvement in the CCRI P2P Network. The City of St. John's has recently adopted a Corporate Climate Plan and is working towards completing its Resilient St. John's: Community Climate Plan.

The CCRI is a venue to learn and share best practices for implementing circular economy strategies and policies. The City of St. John's, and the other members of the P2P Network, will have access to one-on-one mentoring, direct interaction with subject matter experts, as well as peer-to-peer exchanges to assist in developing our own unique circular economy roadmap for St. John's.

The CCRI is a one-year national pilot developed by the National Zero Waste Council, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund, the Recycling Council of Alberta and RECYC-QUÉBEC, to provide local governments in Canada with the knowledge and tools needed to accelerate circular economy solutions.