Mandatory Waste Source Separation and Waste Hauler Licensing Bylaws

Thank you for your inquiry.  

While our last formal composition audit was conducted in 2012, we know that the relative percentages of organics, recycling, and waste had been fairly stable year-over-year.  However, both the pandemic and the RDN's automated cart collection program have altered the both the volume and composition of our waste streams. 2019 presented us with the last clear picture of our waste composition before these substantial changes took effect: Reporting data includes the total tonnage of landfilled and diverted materials and it shows the following percentage breakdown of collected material: 70% recycled; 23% landfilled; 6% composted; 1% reused. Preliminary data from our curbside program from the past year reveals that volume has increased for every waste stream.

The RDN will be commissioning another third-party waste composition audit in 2022 similar to that of 2012.  This audit will reveal the extent to which the pandemic, our automated curbside program, and Solid Waste Management Plan programs has effected material volumes and composition.

Thank you for your very pertinent questions. Privately-owned recycling depots, such as the Nanaimo Regional Recycling (NRR) depots, generally do not accept recyclable items generated by small businesses.  Typically, depots receive a nominal amount of funding from Recycle BC to collect so-called "In-Scope Paper and Product Packaging (PPP)" when the source of the material is strictly residential. This stipulation is enforced by a very explicit contract between Recycle BC and the depots.  The contract does allow for the depot owners to collect In-Scope PPP from industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) generators, but the depot is responsible for all costs associated with separating, weighing, storing, and shipping ICI material.  In short, collecting ICI in-scope materials may end up costing the depots money, which is an untenable and unsustainable consideration for a privately-owned business.

However, the implementation of the Mandatory Source Separation bylaw will necessarily result in a more developed and competitive local recycling market. We anticipate the costs for associated for recycling clean, source separated ICI recycling to decrease over time.  Furthermore, the Retail Council of Canada has announced that BC will move to a deposit system for milk containers similar to beer and beverage containers, which means that your milk jugs can be returned to a bottle depot for refund.  You can find more information here: https://resource-recycling.com/plastics/2020/07/29/british-columbia-expands-epr-and-bottle-deposit-systems/ 

These bylaws pertain only to the mandatory separation of recyclables and organics from commercial, institutional, and multi-family waste streams and the implementation of licenses for waste haulers.  Fisheries management is the purview of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.  You can find more information about the Pacific region at their website:  https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/index-eng.html 

Thank you for your excellent question.  

While working to update the RDN’s Solid Waste Management Plan - our comprehensive long-term plan for waste management in the region, approved by the Ministry in 2020 – we thoroughly investigated a wide variety of solutions as they pertain to waste diversion and the residual waste management (what remains after reusable, recyclable, and compostable materials been adequately removed).

The Plan (which was developed with guidance from a committee of First Nations, public, business, not-for-profit, environmental, and governmental representatives) focuses on diversion first, and lays out the practical steps to achieving our Zero Waste goal of 90% diversion; a diversion rate that would elevate the RDN to a global class of its own. Getting to 90% (and beyond) means continuing to build and support a robust local, circular economy based on reclaiming, reusing, repurposing, recycling, and remanufacturing materials.

When determining the future of residual waste management in the region we considered landfilling and a number of energy recovery technologies. These options were evaluated on multiple criteria including capital and operating costs, short- and long-term feasibility, environmental impacts, scalability and energy recovery. Ultimately, we and the plan committee decided that continuing to landfill our material was the most beneficial for the following reasons: It allows us to maximize the use of our existing site which has a life expectancy of an additional 22 years; it keeps our disposal costs among the lowest in BC, and; it allows us to dedicate resources to achieving our diversion goals.  

At this time, gasification of municipal solid waste is a new technology that comes with prohibitive capital and operational cost burdens. A 2016 study into the feasibility of gasification, conducted by a third party on behalf of the RDN, revealed that the disposal cost per tonne of garbage would more than double from simply constructing the necessary facility. This number would increase factoring in appreciable operation and maintenance costs. The RDN currently produces little enough waste that it would require a small-module gasifier, a technology which has not been proven at scale and may not be available. Additionally, gasification feed stocks require substantial pre-processing, and it has been shown that energy recovery falls short of conventional waste-to-energy technologies.  

If you would like to learn more about our current and future solid waste programs, we would be happy to have a discussion with you and to share our extensive research.

Thank you for the excellent question.

 As you can imagine, instituting recycling and compost at all multi-family buildings, as well as all businesses and institutions, is no small endeavor.  Each customer will have different needs based on the amount of waste they generate and divert and the space they have for sorting and storage. On the other hand, each hauler will provide a unique service based on a variety of factors, such as compatibility of existing vehicles with expanded services, scheduling constraints, their facility dimensions and permissions, and end processing facility types and locations. The RDN’s role will be to provide support to haulers to create communications materials that consider their operational capabilities and the needs of the customers.  In turn, the haulers will be able to provide communications tailored to suit their customers distinct requirements.

Thank you for your question. An existing strata whose curbside collection is managed by a licensed hauler or haulers will have two options under the Source Separation bylaw. First, they can separate their garbage, recyclables, and organics into dedicated or partitioned containers on the premises. Alternatively, a strata may choose collect their non-separated garbage, recyclables, and organics into one or more container(s) which will be sent to a facility that separates and sorts recyclables and organic materials. 

For most strata, achieving a three-stream system will require only the addition of receptacles for organics collection.  Materials effectively separated at their source contain fewer contaminants, which increases their market values, reduces processing costs, and improves facility worker safety when compared facility-sorted materials.  With that in mind, the Waste Hauler Licensing bylaw will encourage private haulers to provide separate containers and promote proper diversion by offering them reduced disposal fees for garbage free of recyclable and organic materials.  

Thank you for your question. An existing strata whose curbside collection is managed by a licensed hauler or haulers will have two options under the Source Separation bylaw. First, they can separate their garbage, recyclables, and organics into dedicated or partitioned containers on the premises.  For strata with a variety of dwelling types and/or space constraints, strata councils are encouraged to reach out to their haulers to discuss suitable service options. Alternatively, a strata may choose collect their non-separated garbage, recyclables, and organics into one or more container(s) which will be sent to a facility that separates and sorts recyclables and organic materials.  

For most strata, achieving a three-stream system will require only the addition of receptacles for organics collection.  Materials effectively separated at their source contain fewer contaminants, which increases their market values, reduces processing costs, and improves facility worker safety when compared facility-sorted materials.  With that in mind, the Waste Hauler Licensing bylaw will encourage private haulers to provide separate containers and promote proper diversion by offering them reduced disposal fees for garbage free of recyclable and organic materials.  

Yes, the Mandatory Waste Source Separation bylaw will apply to businesses, institutions, and multi-family buildings throughout the RDN, including the City of Nanaimo, District of Lantzville, City of Parksville, Town of Qualicum Beach, and electoral areas.