Solid Waste Management Plan 

The Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is a region-wide approach to managing garbage – also known as “municipal solid waste” – adopted by the Board of Directors and approved by the provincial government in 1995.

Solid Waste Management Plan Update

Building on the Zero Waste Challenge initiative, Metro Vancouver is updating the 1995 plan. The SWMP updates will focus on three goals:
• minimizing waste generation;
• maximizing the reuse, recycling and material/energy recovery from solid waste; and,
• extracting maximum benefit from the disposed waste stream.

Metro Vancouver currently diverts 52 per cent of the waste it generates away from disposal. At the core of the SWMP update is Metro Vancouver’s goal of a 70 per cent diversion rate, and the goals, strategies and actions needed to achieve this. 

Consultation Process
Metro Vancouver held a consultation process, between March 6 and May 30, 2008, to provide opportunities to receive input from citizens, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, businesses and First Nations on its Strategy for Updating the Solid Waste Management Plan. As part of this process, Metro Vancouver held nine public meetings and nine municipal workshops across the region. Further public consultation on the draft SWMP will be held.

The report to the July 9, 2008 Waste Management Committee meeting (Section 5.2) summarizes the consultation process and input received. Attachments, titled Issues, Comments and Metro Vancouver Responses, contain summaries of public, municipal, and Reference Panel feedback.

 July 9, 2008 Waste Management Committee meeting agenda

To learn more about the Strategy for Updating the Solid Waste Management Plan, please view our public meeting presentation and information panels.

Reference Panel
As part of the consultation process on the Strategy for Updating the Solid Waste Management Plan, Metro Vancouver formed a panel consisting of technical experts, practitioners, citizens, and representatives from non-governmental organizations.

The panel provided Metro Vancouver with comments and advice regarding the strategies and will further comment on the subsequent draft plan.

Three meetings, open to the public, were held at the Metro Vancouver head office (4330 Kingsway).

See July 9, 2008 Waste Management Committee Meeting Agenda for details regarding Reference Panel input.

Documentation of all written input and communication activities entitled Consultation on the Strategy for Updating the Solid Waste Management Plan – Report on Activities and Feedback March 6 – May 30, 2008 (Volume 1 and Volume 2) is available from the Metro Vancouver Information Centre by calling 604-432-6200.