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• Winter Waste Reduction
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• Commercial Cardboard Diversion Program - Updated

Demolition, Land Clearing and Construction Waste (DLC Waste)

Did you know?

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is working hard to minimize the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills.

With a Regional Solid Waste Management Plan in place, the RDFFG is promoting the reducing, reusing and recycling of solid waste to help save valuable space in our landfills. Our goal is to reduce our annual disposal rate to 570 kg per capita.

Working together in partnership with the commercial sector is key to the success of this plan as the sector is responsible for almost 60% of the waste delivered to RDFFG’s Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill. Key steps being undertaken by the RDFFG include:

• Updating the existing bylaw to better define the different types of DLC waste, creating more categories for source separation.
• Creating tools to educate and inform the commercial sector on DLC source separation.
• Considering the implementation of lower tipping fees for source separated DLC waste.

Why source separate DLC waste?

In 2016 16,000 tonnes of DLC waste ended up in landfills in the RDFFG. Over 80% of this DLC waste had value and could have been recycled:

                                                             Estimated tonnage
Painted or Treated Wood                        6,500 – 7,500
Asphalt Products                                     2,500 – 3,000
Clean Wood                                            1,500 – 2,000
Metals                                                        650 – 750
Concrete, Masonry & Rubble                    500 -- 600

Let’s work together and start source separating waste!

Here are a few tips on starting to source separate DLC waste:

• Draw up a plan to consider what can be deconstructed for valuable parts instead of demolishing the whole building.
• Make sure there is enough time in the demolition plan to source separate the demolished materials.
• Have space at the demolition site for piling or placing bins for each type of waste.

Below are the newly updated DLC waste categories that we are asking you to source separate your waste into:

	Demolition, Land Clearing and Construction Waste: A mixed load of any of the following materials. Source separating these materials before disposal is encouraged!
	Asphalt: Petroleum by-product, mixed with gravel or crushed rock, used for paving roads and parking areas.
	Asphalt Shingles: Roofing shingles made from petroleum by-product, not including wrap or torch on membrane.
	Clean Soil: Soil, sediment or fill material without contaminants, refuse or large rocks.
	Stumps and Large Branches: Tree stumps free of soil, shrubs and tree branches larger than 75 mm in diameter.
	Clean Wood Waste: Untreated or unpainted wood waste typically from construction or demolition projects. Small amounts of metal (nails and screws) are acceptable.
	Painted and Treated Wood Waste: Wood typically from construction or demolition that is painted, treated with preservatives, or contains adhesives or fillers. No tile, gypsum, glue, carpet, dirt or soil or non-wood materials are attached.
	Gypsum Board or Wallboard: Construction scraps, painted wallboard and/or covered in wallpaper, vinyl, or ceramic tile, but not containing asbestos. Also known as drywall.
	Concrete: Hardened mixture of cement with sand, gravel and/or rebar. Rebar protruding from cement should not be longer than 1 ft in length.
	Masonry and Rubble: Loose mass of gravel, bricks, or crushed rock.
	Scrap Metal: Sheet metal, siding, roofing, rebar, flashing, pipes, window frames, doors, furnaces, bathtubs, fencing, bicycles, but not where metal is less than 50% of the product weight and cannot be easily separated from non-metallic components (e.g. a couch).

Fees

All categories of source separated DLC waste are $90 per tonne at scaled facilities with the following exceptions:

• Concrete is $107.20 per tonne
• Clean Soil and small loads of Scrap Metal are free of charge

Double charges may apply to mixed loads. All fees subject to change.

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Love Food Hate Waste Canada s a behavioral campaign aimed at Canadians to reduce the amount of food going to waste.

Food For Thought:

• 17% of all waste going to the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill in 2018 was food waste.
• 63% of the food Canadians throw away could, at one point, have been eaten.
• For the average Canadian household that amounts to 140 kilograms of wasted food per year – at a cost of more than $1,100 per year.
• For Canadian households that amounts to almost 2.2 million tonnes of edible food wasted each year, costing Canadians more than $17 billion.
• All types of food are wasted, but in Canada the most commonly wasted foods by weight are: 
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Leftovers
  • Bread and bakery items
  • Dairy and eggs
• Every day in Canada we waste:
  • 2,400,000 potatoes
  • 1,225,000 apples
  • 1,200,000 tomatoes
  • 1,000,000 cups of milk
  • 750,000 loaves of bread
  • 555,000 bananas
  • 470,000 heads of lettuce
  • and 450,000 eggs

• Canada’s 2.2 million tonnes of edible food is the equivalent of 9.8 million tonnes of C02 and 2.1 million cars on the road. Every tonne of household food waste that can be avoided is the equivalent of taking one car off the road each year.

Wasting food means that the resources used to produce that food are also wasted (e.g. water, land, fuel)

Edible food doesn’t belong in the garbage. Composting food waste is better than disposing. But an even better way to lessen our impact on the environment is to reduce the amount of food waste we produce in the first place. (Reference: EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy)

The objective of Love Food Hate Waste Canada is to inspire and empower residents to reduce the amount of food they waste at home. It is a behaviour change campaign developed by WRAP UK. The UK campaign resulted in a 21 percent reduction in avoidable household food waste in its first five years, saving UK consumers £13 billion pounds.

In Canada, a Love Food Hate Waste Campaign has been in place since 2015 in Metro Vancouver. Love Food Hate Waste Canada builds on the proven success of the UK and Metro Vancouver campaigns. It aims to help Canadians waste less by offering simple and actionable tips.

Wasting food hurts the environment and costs you money. The good news is that this problem is easy to solve. Love Food Hate Waste has easy tips to help you get started. We’re asking people to start by making just one small change to waste less. There are three major ways we can all reduce our food waste:

For more information on how you can reduce your food waste, visit Love Food Hate Waste Canada.

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The Regional District is partnering with the Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable Stewardship Program starting January 1, 2019 to offer a new waste reduction initiative. The partnership with MARR will allow residences of the Regional District to drop off their large appliances for free, including appliances that contain ozone depleting substances, as well as washers, dryers, stoves and a variety of other approved appliances. All appliances must be clean and empty of food.

Approved MARR ODS containing appliances that can be dropped off free of charge at select facilities include:

• Full-Size Refrigerators and Wine Coolers/Beverage Centres
• Compact Refrigerators and Wine Coolers/Beverage Centres
• Freezers
• Room Air Conditioners
• Portable Air Conditioners
• Dehumidifiers

Approved MARR ODS containing appliances will be accepted at the following facilities free of charge:

• Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill
• Mackenzie Regional Landfill
• Hixon Regional Transfer Station
• Bear Lake Regional Transfer Station
• McBride Regional Transfer Station
• Valemount Regional Transfer Station

Other appliances that are part of the MARR program that can be recycled at selected facilities include:

• Clothes Washers
• Clothes Dryers
• Ranges
• Range Hoods and Downdrafts
• Built-In Ovens
• Built-In and Over the Range Microwave Ovens
• Surface Cooking Units
• Dishwashers
• Food Waste Disposers
• Trash Compactors
• Built-In Electric Water Dispensers

The following facilities will accept MARR non-ODS containing appliances free of charge:

• Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill
• Mackenzie Regional Landfill
• Hixon Regional Transfer Station
• Bear Lake Regional Transfer Station
• McBride Regional Transfer Station
• Valemount Regional Transfer Station
• Cummings Road Regional Transfer Station
• Shelley Regional Transfer Station
• Vanway Recycling Depot and Transfer Station
• Quinn Street Recycling Depot

For more information on the MARR program, please go to http://www.marrbc.ca/

For information on water cooler disposal, or any other product that is not part of the MARR program, please contact the RDFFG at 250-960-4400

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Winter Waste Reduction

It’s that time of year again when the snow starts falling and many people start thinking about gifts for the coming holiday season. As the temperature starts to drop, hopefully so will the amount of waste we produce. Did you know that we typically generate 25% more garbage during the holiday season than any other time of year? This year we encourage you to reduce your waste, below are some tips to help you do so!

Party Planning

Only buy what you need and look for items with less packaging for the groceries. Also, bring your own reusable bags while shopping to reduce the use of plastic bags.

When having people over plan ahead and don’t cook extra. While serving the home cooked meals use reusable dishes instead of disposable ones. Eat all the stocked up food in your freezer that way if you cook too much you’ll have room for all those delicious leftovers.

When sending invitations opt for the least amount of waste possible, send e-cards instead of paper, or if you do send cards out use those made from recycled content.

Decorations

Skip buying new and reuse old Christmas ornaments, or make them yourself with friends and family.

Many people like the smell of a fresh tree in the house during the holidays, instead of cutting down a live tree get a potted tree and then plant it in the spring.

If you are sick of your old decorations, try swapping with a friend to spice up your tree, or wander second hand stores such as Value Village, Hospice Resale Shop and the Salvation Army Thrift Store for hidden treasures from past holidays.

When upgrading to new decorations such as lights, make sure to recycle them at the correct facilities. For more information on where to recycle lights check out LightRecycle, one of British Columbia’s product stewards. For more information on Product Stewardship click here.

Gifts

Give out gifts such as gift cards, tickets to movies or local events instead of large bulky items. It may sound obvious, but some of the best gifts are personal, look for the experiences people can have instead of the possessions.

Is someone you know crafty? Check out community calendars to see who is offering classes in the coming year on things such as painting or pottery.

Instead of buying gifts, you can try baking festive treats for the recipient, or make a donation to a charity on behalf of your loved one

Many things are now meant to break after a certain time period, look for items that are built to last. An easy option is to find a fabulous kitchen gadget that is simple and skip those with batteries and breakable parts.

Old newspapers and magazines make great alternatives to new wrapping paper, or use gift bags that can be reused. Also try shredding paper instead of using Styrofoam peanuts for packing boxes. When opening gifts try to save the wrapping paper and bubble wrap for next time.

After the Holidays

When recycling make sure to separate your recyclables from your garbage to make disposal easier. Take the separated recyclables, paper, cardboard and wrapping paper to a local recycling facility or fill your curbside blue bins.

Instead of throwing away food scraps you can compost it in the back yard. However, due to wildlife concerns we do not allow them at our facilities. Below are the approved compost allowed at our facilities. Christmas trees can be dropped off free of charge at a variety of our facilities.

 

The Regional District sells composters like the one pictured below, for more information click here.

Make sure to secure your load when visiting any Regional District facility and remember that all facilities will be busier during the holiday season. For more information and hours of operation at our landfills click here and for our transfer stations click here. 

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What is Sort Smart?

Sort Smart is a campaign to help you divert recyclables from your garbage and the landfill. It provides guidance on how you can properly sort your recycling and where to take it.

Why should I participate in Sort Smart?

Taking the time to divert and recycle your products helps increase the lifespan of our landfill. Being smart about how you bring solid waste to the landfill can save you money.

Where can I take my sorted recyclables?

To find the closest recycling location to you, please visit: https://www.rcbc.ca/recyclepedia/search

How do I Sort Smart?

Check out the guide we’ve provided down below!

 

 

Commercial Cardboard Diversion Program

As of January 1st, 2019, the RDFFG wants to remind all commercial customers that the final phase of the Commercial Cardboard Diversion program begins. The tolerated amount of cardboard decreases to 5% of the entire load.

Any commercial load of waste that contains more than 5% cardboard will be subject to a surcharge under Bylaw 3023. Removing this recyclable item from the waste stream will save valuable landfill space, energy and resources.

All loads of cardboard must be clean of contaminants. This includes: Styrofoam packaging, plastic and metal. Cardboard should be folded to make as much space as possible in each bin. Cardboard bins that have high levels of contamination require additional time and resources to sort and may even be rejected if contamination levels are too high.

For more information, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George at 250-960-4400 or email environment@rdffg.bc.ca.