2025 R09 – Conserving BC Landfill Capacity
- Year: 2025
- AVICC Number: R09
- UBCM Number: EB40
- Nanaimo City
Whereas the available capacity of landfills in British Columbia is rapidly diminishing, posing a significant challenge to effective waste management and environmental sustainability;
And whereas landfill airspace is a critical component in recovery from disaster and emergency events:
Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request that the Province develop a long-term waste management strategy that supports a circular economy, prioritizing waste reduction, material reuse, and recycling, while maintaining resilience in the event of emergencies or disasters.
- Year: 2025
- AVICC Number: R09
- Sponsor: Nanaimo City
- Resolution Type: Provincial
- Category: Environment
- AVICC Decision: Endorsed
- AVICC Action: Forwarded to UBCM
- AVICC Response link
- UBCM Number: EB40
- UBCM Decision: Endorsed as amended
- UBCM Amendment: Amended to add "composting of organics" to the list of priority items included in the enactment clause
- Provincial Response:Ministry of Environment and Parks The ministry is aware that many BC municipal solid waste landfills are either reaching authorized capacity or are expected to reach capacity sooner than planned, and the issue has been intensified in some regions by significant volumes of unplanned waste due to clean-up and recovery from disaster and emergency events such as floods and wildfires. Conserving BCs landfill capacity and effective long-term solid waste management planning are supported by the ministry. Under the Environmental Management Act EMA, regional districts are required to prepare and maintain an approved solid waste management plan SWMP that outlines policies and programs for managing municipal solid waste. A SWMP is a blueprint for the management of municipal solid waste and recyclable material in the region that identifies regional issues for the next 20 to 25 years while planning for the next 10 years. The ministrys priority is to ensure regional districts are keeping SWMPs up to date, including considerations for addressing landfill capacity challenges, along with targets and programs to decrease the amount of solid waste being disposed of in landfills or incinerators. These actions aim to conserve landfill space for emergency events and reduce the need for additional landfill space in the future. The ministry continues to assess opportunities to advance BCs circular economy and has several programs underway to continue to support a circular economy and waste reduction around the province. Programs include funding reuse, waste reduction and recycling for plastics through the Plastics Action Fund, funding organic waste management projects through the Organics Funding Program, implementing the Single-use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation which restricts the provision and use of some single-use items in BC, and expansion of our extended producer responsibility EPR program. The ministry will continue to work with regional districts where possible, including providing guidance to support implementation of programs that support a circular economy while decreasing the amount of solid waste being disposed of in landfills or incinerators. URLs Plastics Action Fund: https:www2.gov.bc.cagovcontentenvironmentwaste-managementzero-wasteplas… Organics Funding Program: https:www2.gov.bc.cagovcontentenvironmentwaste-managementfood-and-organ… Single-use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation: https:www2.gov.bc.cagovcontentenvironmentwaste-managementzero-wasteplas…
- UBCM Response link
The AVICC acknowledges that we are grateful to live, work, and play on the traditional territories of theCoast Salish, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Kwak-Waka’wakw Peoples