In 2009, Metro Vancouver sought to amend its Solid Waste Management Plan to allow for the annual export of up to 600,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste to the United States for a period of up to five years, beginning in 2010.

Latest Developments
On August 25, 2009, Lieutenant-Governor Steven L. Point delivered the Speech from the Throne which included a commitment to ban the international export of British Columbia’s garbage and landfill waste.

In January 2010, the proposed Cache Creek Landfill Extension Project received a provincial environmental assessment certificate. The certificate was granted by Environment Minister Barry Penner and Community and Rural Development Minister Bill Bennett following a review led by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office (EAO).

The project involves a 42-hectare extension of the existing Cache Creek Landfill, providing an additional 12.6 million tonnes of disposal capacity. This project is expected to have a lifespan of 17 to 25 years, and represents a possible interim disposal solution for Metro Vancouver while long term planning continues.

More information on the environmental assessment certificate can be found at www.eao.gov.bc.ca. 

In a separate process, Metro Vancouver will continue to work on updating the Region’s solid waste management plan, now known as the Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan (ISWRMP).

For further information on the ISWRMP, please visit www.metrovancouver.org/services/solidwaste/planning

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