A decision by BC Environment Minister Mary Polak to reject a Metro Vancouver bylaw aimed at an increases in recycling and proper management of garbage will have catastrophic consequences throughout the province, Metro Vancouver Board Chair Greg Moore said.
“This decision means the commitment of our citizens to recycling and waste avoidance becomes virtually unachievable. The result will be increased costs for residents and businesses, and rather than being recycled, materials will simply be shipped to dumps where they will rot for centuries and create problems for future generations. And the impact on recycling businesses in Metro Vancouver that have invested many millions of dollars, with the expectation significant future investments, will be devastating.
“It is incomprehensible to us that the Minister has listened to lobbyists and ignored the facts provided by Metro Vancouver, supported by 12 other regional districts in BC, representing 90 percent of the provincial population, along with the Recycle First Coalition and the 825 workers it employs, in making this short-sighted decision,” Chair Moore said.
Metro Vancouver Bylaw 280 is necessary to meet recycling goals of 70 percent by 2015 and 80 percent by 2020, and was the subject of intensive lobbying by major vested interests in the garbage industry which opposed it. Rather than manage the waste produced in Metro Vancouver within the region, several garbage companies are increasingly bypassing the regional system so that they can avoid bans on recyclable materials and the tipping fees necessary to ensure a competitive recycling and disposal system.
“To say those of us who are on the front lines of responsible waste management in British Columbia are disappointed in the Minister’s decision would be a significant understatement,” Metro Vancouver Vice-Chair Raymond Louie said.
Following extensive consultation with stakeholders, including over 70 meetings, Metro Vancouver prepared and, following industry feedback, amended Bylaw 280 which was endorsed by the 23 communities that make up the regional district. The bylaw was submitted to the Minister in November of 2013 for approval.
“I find it unfortunate that it has taken a year to arrive at a decision that simply avoids the realities of maintaining and enhancing an effective recycling system in favour of the interests of a few big haulers and landfill owners. Without the ability to deal with garbage at regional facilities where inspections can ensure recyclable materials are properly diverted and everyone pays their fair share of the costs, our existing, highly effective system is at serious risk,” Vice-Chair Louie said.
Thanks to that current system Metro Vancouver recycled 60 percent of the overall waste produced in 2013. That recycling rate has continued to grow under the region’s provincially approved Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan – a plan that requires managing the flow of waste.
“Without proper regulation, it is abundantly clear that increasing quantities of garbage and recycling will be shipped out of the region for disposal at remote landfills, and that is not a result we believe most British Columbians will find acceptable,” said Chair Moore.
