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What is a Regional Solid Waste Management Plan?

It’s the blueprint for how we will manage our region’s waste for the next 10 years.   And it’s about reducing, reusing and recycling waste, as well as identifying things that we currently throw away that could be used as resources tomorrow.  We are updating the plan that was prepared in 2008 to ensure that our programs and services continue to meet the needs of our diverse region.

What's been achieved?

Since 2008, the RDFFG increased the amount of waste recycled and composted to 26% of all waste generated - an increase of 5%.  This has been done largely through the introduction of more recycling services at RDFFG transfer stations and landfills, and the introduction of curbside recycling in Prince George. 

The Regional District has also made significant investment in improving the disposal system – by closing down old landfills and creating a long-term development plan for the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill.

Consultation is Key

The recommendations for the updated plan were developed over the past year with input from a broad range of government, First Nation and business stakeholders. Additionally, members of the public were invited to share their thoughts on how solid waste is handled in our region through a confidential online survey this past summer.

We’ve taken the feedback received from all participating stakeholders and survey responses and have made some recommendations to improve how garbage, recycling and other waste is handled.  Now, we need you! Let us know what you think of the proposed recommendations. Your input is critical to finalizing what will be in the plan and establishing programming priorities.

What is Proposed?

• Holding reuse events across the region, like community swaps. (i.e. Junk in the Trunk community sales)
• Establishing campaigns to encourage waste reduction behaviours, like using cloth shopping bags, refillable mugs, and reducing the amount of food waste we throw out.
• Setting residential garbage can limits and garbage cart fees at levels that encourage residents to use local recycling and composting opportunities.
• Implementing residential curbside recycling collection in Mackenzie, Valemount and McBride if/when funding for this service becomes available from organizations like Multi-Material BC.
• Encouraging more recycling by businesses and multi-family buildings (e.g. apartments and condos), restrict the disposal of recyclable materials in the garbage.
• Assessing the feasibility of reusing and recycling components of the waste generated by construction and demolition activities.
• Developing a region-wide strategy to tackle illegal dumping.

In addition to the above proposed actions, under this Solid Waste Management Plan, the RDFFG will

• Implement improvements at Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill (Prince George) to ensure its long-term integrity as a landfill that serves the needs of the whole region.
• Close the Mackenzie Landfill and construct a transfer station on the site that will be used to transfer garbage from Mackenzie to the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill. 

 What will it cost?         

Solid waste management is a major region-wide service provided by the RDFFG with a budget of $9.5 million per year.  Over the next five year period (2016-2020), the proposed components of the new plan are expected to increase the budget to $9.9 million in 2020.