Greater Victoria will soon be one step closer to finalizing a plan to deal with its waste.
Capital Regional District (CRD) staff are bringing the final draft solid waste management plan to the board in May.
The final draft plan includes input from electoral areas and municipalities, First Nations communities, residents and neighboring regional districts. Consultation has led to several amendments to the plan, including more information about phasing in future development of the Hartland Landfill property as it relates to regional waste diversion goals; more information about the relationship between solid waste management and climate change; and revised information related to current and future opportunities for organics processing.
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“A new solid waste management plan gives us the policy framework we need to reduce how much material is sent to Hartland Landfill and guide how the region’s waste is handled safely and sustainably,” said Larisa Hutcheson, the CRD’s general manager of parks and environmental services. “The actions and strategies in this final draft enable a range of current, emerging and future activities that balance our region’s efforts between ongoing, daily issues like construction waste to long-term solutions that support our collective action on climate change.”
CRD staff have also highlighted recommendations from First Nations communities for the CRD board in this report, including suggestions from the WSANEC Leadership Council related to education materials for community members and the creation of a joint negotiation table to discuss potential impact benefits and partnership agreements related to Hartland Landfill.
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Consultation reports on both the second phase of public engagement and focused conversations with area residents on road access to Hartland Landfill have been included in the package being considered by the CRD’s Environmental Services Committee on April 21.
CRD staff carried out an extensive first phase of consultation on the proposed targets, strategies and actions for the plan in late 2019, using this input to inform a draft that was issued for public review and comment in November 2020.
If approved by the board in May, staff will submit this final draft plan to the province and then immediately begin plans for implementation. As a living document, the plan will be reported out on annually and can be amended as opportunities and technologies emerge. To review the final draft plan and associated materials, please visit www.crd.bc.ca/rethinkwaste.
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