The Regional District of East Kootenay has released a second survey as part of its Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) Review. The public across the region is invited to take the survey.
Earlier this year the RDEK surveyed area residents on garbage and recycling, with over 3200 people participating. Some of the general findings included an overall satisfaction with the current solid waste recycling systems.
“We had over 3200 people participate in our first survey and we would love to hear from them, and anyone who did not participate previously, as we seek additional information from the public on costs and potential future options for our solid waste and recycling service,” said RDEK Environmental Services Manager Kevin Patterson in a press release. “The more feedback we receive from the public, the more it will help inform the Advisory Committee and RDEK Board as part of this review process.”
READ MORE: RDEK gets great response to solid waste recycling services survey
The survey is available online at engage.rdek.bc.ca and hard copies are available through the RDEK office. The deadline for the survey is Sunday, May 26, 2019.
Patterson says that this survey is much shorter than the first one, which covered a wide range of topics.
“This survey is much shorter and intended to gather additional information in a few key areas. It will take less than two minutes for people to participate,” he said.
All residents and property owners in the East Kootenay, both in municipalities and rural areas, are being encouraged by the RDEK to participate.
“We are once again hoping to hear from every municipality in the electoral area in the RDEK. Well-rounded feedback will help shape a well-rounded plan,” Patterson says.
The SWMP provides the foundation for the way that the RDEK deals with the region’s waste and recycling. This update, according to the press release, will provide guiding principals for the next several years. The review process started late last year and is expected to wrap up later this year.
In the last survey there was support for the RDEK to further investigate the costs and implications of expanding reduction, reuse and recycling services; and, options for composting of organics such as food waste.
Of the 3200 respondents, 2123 of them report that they use the yellow bins at the Transfer Stations for their household recyclables, and 1364 use neighbourhood recycle bins. Only 81 said they don’t recycle at all. 514 only return items that have a deposit.
READ MORE: New Recycle BC Depot now open at Kimberley Transfer Station
The RDEK has also conducted a waste composition study. Currently the RDEK is producing 570.85 kg of garbage per person annually. On average across BC that weight is much lower at 472 kg. British Columbia has a target of 350 kg per person per year by 2020.
The survey was one of the first steps in the SWMP Review process as it provides the RDEK and the Solid Waste Management Plan Review Advisory Committee with an idea of how people are currently using the system and what ideas they have that could be further investigated moving forward.
The SWMP project page on the RDEK’s website includes the previous survey results, a summary of the recent waste audit and copies of all the presentations and supporting documents being used by the Advisory Committee.
For more information on the SWMP or to request a hard copy of the new survey, contact the RDEK.
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