Zero Waste Strategy - Electoral Area C and the Village of Pemberton, Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) will conduct a feasibility study to identify and evaluate opportunities to increase their municipal solid waste diversion rate to 50% for both residential and commercial sectors, with a long-term goal of minimizing waste and maximizing reuse and recycling as part of a zero-waste approach to resource management. The study will focus on the Village of Pemberton and Electoral Area C, which have experienced a tremendous growth in recent years, with a 60 per cent increase in population from 1996 to 2011. Waste audits conducted in 2010 and 2012 determined that 67 per cent of landfilled waste is recyclable or compostable. However collection programs are currently limited to recycling drop-off at local transfer stations. The feasibility study will evaluate the current waste management services and conduct a gap analysis in order to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to service delivery. The district will investigate options according to various waste reduction scenarios, including the viability of a curbside recycling program and a central recycling depot, which would reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicle trips to the transfer station and associated GHG emissions. Lastly, the study will compare options for contracting out solid waste management services versus managing them in house, as well as exploring commercial and residential re-use programs. The action plan for the proposed zero waste strategy will be developed in consultation with SLRD staff and technical experts, and will take into account implementation costs. This initiative will allow SLRD to implement the objectives of the region’s Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) and Integrated Sustainability Plan, and will also guide the next iteration of the SWMP in 2013. The district will also engage interested First Nations in developing service partnerships to decrease facility and operating costs through cost-sharing. This approach would be broadly applicable to other decentralized rural communities. (Project description from original funding application)