Solid Waste Management Plan Operational Services Division – Sanitation October 2007 Table of Contents Table of Contents............................................................................................................2 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................3 Introduction .....................................................................................................................4 Solid Waste Diversion in Manitoba ..................................................................................5 Manitoba Product Stewardship Supported Recycling...................................................7 Household Hazardous Waste Generation in Manitoba.................................................9 Extended Producer Responsibility .............................................................................10 National Waste Diversion ..............................................................................................13 Avenues to Waste Diversion......................................................................................15 Trends for Manitoba ...............................................................................................22 Solid Waste Diversion as a System...............................................................................24 Solid Waste Management in Brandon ...........................................................................25 Landfill License..........................................................................................................25 Landfill Operations.....................................................................................................27 Tipping Face ..........................................................................................................28 Cell Development...................................................................................................29 Recycling...................................................................................................................29 Landfill Recycling Programs...................................................................................29 Residential / Depot Recycling Program ..................................................................32 Composting............................................................................................................35 Hazardous Waste...................................................................................................37 Residential Collection System ...................................................................................38 Current Route Structure .........................................................................................39 Containers..............................................................................................................40 Trucks and Packers ...............................................................................................40 Bylaw.........................................................................................................................42 Fees ..........................................................................................................................45 Alternate Systems .........................................................................................................48 Recycling Systems ....................................................................................................48 Collection Systems ....................................................................................................50 Bylaws and Fees .......................................................................................................53 Options..........................................................................................................................55 Recommendations ........................................................................................................56 Landfill Operation Recommendations ........................................................................56 Recycling / Garbage Collection System Recommendations.......................................58 Bylaws and Fees Recommendations.........................................................................60 Implementation Recommendations............................................................................62 Implementation..............................................................................................................63 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................65 Appendices ...................................................................................................................66 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................71 2 Executive Summary “Waste generation is an indicator of an inefficient process and the needless depletion of valuable resources. Manitobans generate 900,000 tonnes of waste annually. The ability of local governments to continue to manage the quantities and types of waste now produced is in question. The hazardous nature of much of this waste increases the risk to the environment and human health. Manitoba’s resource recovery (recycling) efforts while more effective in some sectors than in others, are an inadequate response to the problem.” - Green Manitoba In the past, the residents of the City of Brandon and the Province of Manitoba have generally not been required to scrutinize their waste generation and or handling practices. Positively, many residents have chosen education and participation in programming that benefits our community and environment. More and more, participation in responsible programming is being legislated to the municipalities, driving the need for participation by residents as a requirement rather than an option. Within the City of Brandon there are a number of issues and factors that have and will impact the solid waste management system: • As a community we have experienced some population growth. In conjunction with this growth, the need for processing of residential, commercial, industrial development (construction) waste has and will continue to increase. • Eastview Landfill site licensing and legislative requirements associated with the operation of the site are scheduled for change in 2007. These requirements, aimed at increased environmental consciousness will impact costs of operation through increased regulatory, monitoring and reporting requirements. • The current residential collection system is outdated and rapidly approaching the end of its lifecycle. The system requires a revamping / replacement that will service not only cost effective and efficient means of collection, but secondly will also support waste diversion in a true sense. • Our waste diversion levels are far below provincial and federal levels. In order to prolong the life of our landfill, we need to be leaders in environmental stewardship and position the community to take advantage of Provincial recycling system reforms. In support of this, change is required with respect to the existing system. In late 2006, as a result of the issues above, it was determined that an overall plan needed to be developed for the entire system. This plan is intended to direct the activities of the department over the next three years in meeting the challenges outlined above. This plan outlines the current situation, municipally, provincially and federally as it relates to waste diversion and from that outlines a set of recommendations related to the recycling / garbage collection system, bylaws and fees, landfill operations and implementation. The plan includes an outline of various collection / recycling options 3 including costing and provides a recommendation and a proposed implementation schedule. Introduction The City of Brandon’s Community Strategic Plan identified one of its desirable future statements to be; “Brandon will be a recognized leader in environmental stewardship.” In order for our community to meet our desirable future, it will be necessary to not only look at the amount of green house gases we emit, or how we use our water but also in how much and what we dispose of in our grounds. Solid waste diversion is linked to clean and productive land. Diverting waste minimizes the land required for disposal sites for solid waste which in turn affects groundwater and soil conditions in our community. This impact can be reduced by diverting waste through recycling or reuse programs and by providing proper disposal techniques for waste that is harmful to our environment. The City of Brandon in conjunction with the Province of Manitoba and a number of community groups and organizations has and continues to make significant shifts in the operation of both refuse collection, recycling efforts and landfill management all in an effort to become more environmentally conscious. The commissioning of the Materials Recovery Facility, Recycling Depot Collections, Household Hazardous Waste Days, the composting program and lined cell management are just a few examples of the changes that have been introduced within the last decade. The City of Brandon acknowledges the importance of acting as a leader of environmental stewardship by setting the example for responsible and effective waste management programs for the community and the industry. There are