Victoria, BC – The Capital Regional District (CRD) Board has approved the region’s final Solid Waste Management Plan and endorsed next steps for implementation.
The final Plan will be submitted to the Province in June and then staff will immediately begin work on a number of actions and strategies to reduce the region’s current waste per capita rate of 395 kg/year to 250 kg/year by 2030.
“The CRD heard resounding support for our region’s shared goal to significantly reduce how much waste is sent to Hartland Landfill throughout this planning process—and having a new plan in place will help us get there faster,” said Colin Plant, CRD Board Chair. “Cutting our collective waste down by a third is a big undertaking that will require innovative thinking, collaboration from all levels of government and each of us doing our part at home to reduce and reuse as much as possible.
“The CRD is proud to be leading this important work on behalf of the region.”
The actions and strategies in the final Plan enable a range of current, emerging and future activities. Short-term priorities in the Plan include investigating options for a clean wood waste ban, creating a community-based waste reduction grant program and working with regional partners to reduce waste generated by multi-family, industrial and commercial sources.
The Board also directed staff to create a negotiation table with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council to discuss potential partnerships related to Hartland Landfill as part of the Plan’s implementation process.
Public engagement has been a key part of developing the region’s final Plan. CRD staff carried out an extensive first phase of consultation on the proposed targets, strategies and actions for the Plan in late 2019, using this input to inform a draft that was issued for public review and comment in November 2020. The final Plan includes input from electoral areas and municipalities, First Nations communities, residents and neighboring regional districts.
The Plan will be reported out on annually and can be amended as opportunities and technologies emerge. For more information, please visit www.crd.bc.ca/rethinkwaste.
Proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers, the CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and all levels of government to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Melanie Tromp Hoover, Communications Supervisor
CRD Environmental Services
Tel: 250.360.3287
Cell: 250.818.1489