Article

Zero Waste for Metro

Publication Date: December 17, 2008
Author: Paul Hundal
Source: SPEC

Metro Vancouver generates a lot of garbage: almost three and half million tonnes of waste per year. That is nearly 1.5 tonnes per person every year! That is an enormous amount of waste to landfill or burn every year. We need to take action to reduce waste in our region.

waste

Reducing the amount of waste that we produce will improve our environment by reducing greenhouse gases and preventing further pollution of our air, land and water. Waste diversion also has economic and social benefits through the creation of green jobs and by providing opportunities for local businesses.

To solve the current waste crisis, SPEC calls for a Zero Waste strategy for the Lower Mainland. We advocate three main components to this strategy for diverting products from the waste stream:

1.Reducing our waste
The best way to manage waste is not to generate it in the first place. Buy fewer products and choose items with less packaging.
2.Re-using products and materials
Re-use products, including bags and containers, repair or donate items to charity and purchase used goods to reduce waste.
3.Recycling
Recycle products such as paper, cardboard, metal, glass and plastic through municipal recycling and deposit programs. Dispose of electronic waste through Extended Product Responsibility (EPR) programs. Compost food and yard waste.

While SPEC supports Metro Vancouver Regional District’s vision for a zero waste region, we believe a viable waste management strategy should focus first and foremost on waste reduction rather than waste diversion. Currently, Metro Vancouver’s “Zero Waste Challenge” calls for a 70 percent diversion of waste from landfills and promotes incineration (converting waste to energy) as the alternative. We believe incineration is problematic because it can pollute the air with harmful particulate matter, dioxins that have been linked to cancer, and a cocktail of chemicals (including NOX’s, VOC’s and greenhouse gases) created by the burning of a wide variety of plastics and organics. Metro Vancouver’s “Zero Waste Challenge” focuses too much on burning waste, and not enough on reducing waste. SPEC believes that the regional strategic goal should be to minimize pollution and waste.

Currently, much of that waste that potentially could go into the “disposal” system is recycled through successful deposit legislation that SPEC worked to implement. This legislation is highly successful in motivating the public to return used products to the manufacturer, so that it does not fill our landfills or pollute the air through incineration. SPEC continues to advocate for expanded deposit and EPR legislation for products including batteries, fluorescent lights (that contain mercury), and other products that either can be recycled or contain toxins and so must be processed in a way that prevents pollution.

Now is the time for Metro Vancouver to focus on reducing waste by promoting existing recycling initiatives and stewardship programs and expanding those programs to include products not currently accepted, such as batteries. SPEC also calls for Metro Vancouver to invest in programs to divert organic waste from landfills, including encouraging the development of an organic waste processing industry and composting programs. In 2001, the GVRD waste audit found that 39 percent of the total solid waste sent to disposal facilities came from organics. Not only does organic waste unnecessarily take up space in landfills, it also produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is a major cause of climate change. By choosing to implement a visionary and long term solution to divert organics from the existing landfill and promote increased recycling, Metro Vancouver could become a model of environmental and economic sustainability that would gain recognition around the world.

waste

Providing sustainable and environmentally sound solutions to the waste management challenges we face today goes to the core of what SPEC is about – preventing pollution and protecting the environment. We need new approaches to packaging and waste management, including expanded EPR programs and waste reduction strategies. Achieving a zero waste region requires individual commitment to reducing waste and recycling as well as strong leadership on the part of governments. SPEC will continue to work with individuals, governments and industry towards the goal of a achieving a zero waste region.