The Capital Regional District has approved its plan that aims to reduce its total waste by about a third by 2030.
The CRD board approved the Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) at its May 12 meeting and it’ll now be submitted to the province in June.
The SWMP’s goals surpass the provincially mandated disposal target and specifically aim to reduce the region’s current per capita waste from 395 to 250 kilograms/year by the end of the decade.
The plan outlines the region’s waste, collection types, disposal sites and strategies to curb garbage and other trashed items. Those wide-ranging strategies include informing residents on proper waste management, supporting each municipality to create an individualized waste reduction plan and targeting the area’s highest waste sources.
“The CRD heard resounding support for our region’s shared goal to significantly reduce how much waste is sent to Hartland landfill throughout this planning process – and having a new plan in place will help us get there faster,” said Colin Plant, CRD board chair. “Cutting our collective waste down by a third is a big undertaking that will require innovative thinking, collaboration from all levels of government and each of us doing our part at home to reduce and reuse as much as possible.
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The plan includes a phased approach. Multiple actions to do with waste-diversion education and advocating for more action from higher levels of government are underway. Other actions to do with establishing community-level zero waste plans and diverting thrown-away items from multi-family homes, commercial settings and industry aren’t expected to be implemented until 2026.
The plan does present a timeline where the region would start to take action on reducing the amount of discarded construction materials and organics – two of the largest current waste sources – from ending up in landfills within three years.
The SWMP’s approval also endorses the idea of the CRD becoming a national leader in zero waste and the circular economy.
The plan includes input from electoral areas, municipalities, First Nations communities, residents and neighbouring regional districts.
Updates on the plan will be recorded annually and the CRD says the SWMP will be amended as new opportunities and technologies emerge.
“The CRD is proud to be leading this important work on behalf of the region,” Plant said.
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