ICI Zero Waste Feasibility Study, District of Mission

The District of Mission will conduct a feasibility study to determine the requirements for a comprehensive program to divert at least 50 per cent of the current industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) waste stream from landfill. With residential recycling and composting well underway and achieving a 48 per cent curbside diversion, the district is ready to expand waste diversion efforts to its rapidly growing ICI sector. Current ICI recycling efforts are largely dictated by what is valuable to haulers and processors, and several businesses have approached district staff for assistance with their waste diversion efforts, while others already use the Mission Recycling Depot to drop off materials. The proposed ICI Zero Waste Program study takes a unique approach to diverting all waste, not only maximizing what can be recycled but reducing costs to participants at the same time. The study will include ICI sector interviews, assessments of current waste collection contracts, measurements of current waste tonnages or recycling tonnages (where such diversion efforts may already exist), and a needs assessment to determine individual customer requirements for implementing a diversion program. The study will include innovative ways to finance the services, such as eco-fees, as well as an assessment of payout options or rebates for penalties on terminating existing collection contracts. It will also serve to assess the potential of this initiative to help achieve the desired outcomes, with the aim of increasing the current ICI diversion rate from 25 per cent direct diversion of all incoming materials to at least 50 per cent. By including the ICI sector in diverting recyclables and compostables, Mission hopes to achieve a range of environmental, economic and social benefits. The study results would be easily transferable to any community looking to address ICI waste diversion in a uniform, cost-neutral and efficient way. (Project description from original funding application)