Kitchen scraps from single-family homes will be banned from going into the garbage by the end of next year, and by 2015 that ban will include all residences and businesses, according to Metro’s proposed Zero Waste Challenge Strategy.
While the strategy will focus on recycling organic waste—estimated to comprise 40 percent of trash volumes—removing all wood waste and increasing the list of banned substances is also included in the plan.
Organic waste will be re-routed through compost bins picked up weekly, while regular garbage collection will be reduced to bi-weekly pickups.
Metro Vancouver’s current levels of 55 percent waste recycling are among the highest in the country, compared to the current national average of 22 percent.
However, due to the region’s growing population and increase in the amount of waste generated per person, Metro officials say more aggressive action is needed to avoid stagnating around the 50 percent recycling mark.
Violators of the new rules—residents, contractors, and city workers alike—caught dumping kitchen scraps in with garbage will face fines as disposal ban inspections are increased.
But Greg Moore, Mayor of Port Coquitlam and chair of Metro’s Waste Management Committee, says the focus will be on collaboration to reach common goals, not punishment.
“It is our goal to work in collaboration with all stake holders and provide a convenient service. It is my experience that when you bring forward change using these two pillars there is not a need for penalties,” he said in an email to the Epoch Times.
While Metro Vancouver is responsible for setting goals and standards, each municipality will be responsible for their own enforcement of recycling practices. Moore says municipalities will also be responsible for educating citizens on best practices for recycling.
“Metro Vancouver, in cooperation with municipalities, will continually bring forward information and education. The key to our success will be to provide appropriate information to the residents, institutions, and business.”
Through an animated Metro Vancouver Facebook campaign, consumers are encouraged to buy less, donate unwanted items to thrift stores, and “re-gift.”—messages aimed at educating consumers and encouraging them to use their purchasing power to create environmentally responsible buying trends.
Moore recommends citizens also visit their local government web site or go to www.MetroVancouver.org for ideas on waste reduction and recycling, to get a head start on creating new recycling habits.
Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers also need to take responsibility for the lifecycle of their products, according to the Zero Waste report.
“As long as total waste generation climbs in parallel with recycling volumes, we will not make progress toward Zero Waste. ... Experience has shown that despite decades of public information on the need to reduce and reuse before one takes the step of recycling, our society tends to produce more, consume more and dispose more,” says the report.
The guidelines for the new strategy will be introduced at a conference March 11 in Burnaby, at which a diverse group of government, private sector and non-profit organizations will discuss waste reduction and recycling initiatives.
Keynote speakers from New York’s sanitation department and members of the “Dragon’s Den” panel will be in attendance.
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