On Friday, July 30, the Metro Vancouver Board endorsed a revised Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan (ISWRMP) to be submitted to the Minister of Environment for approval, which included amendments made after considering input from the consultation process and Metro Vancouver’s Waste Management Committee.

Metro Vancouver is responsible for managing the garbage produced by residents and businesses in the Lower Mainland.  A solid waste plan, evaluated and approved by the region’s Board and the provincial government, directs how our waste is managed.

The current goal is to improve reduction, reuse and recycling efforts so that by 2015, a minimum of 70% of our waste is diverted from disposal (landfill or waste-to-energy). Furthermore, Metro Vancouver has set an aspirational target of achieving 80% by 2020.  The top priority in managing waste is to reduce our garbage as much as possible through the Zero Waste Challenge.