CRD supports banning recyclable wood, construction waste from landfill

The Capital Regional District is moving forward with the plan to keep reusable construction material out of the dump.

The CRD wants to reduce the region’s disposal rate to 250 kilograms per capita by 2030, but that figure was still rising in 2022 – largely due to wood and construction waste being landfilled.

To reverse that trend, the CRD is proposing to ban clean, treated and salvageable wood, asphalt roofing and shingles and carpet from Hartland landfill as of next January. Those items were chosen after a consultant identified how robust reuse and recycling markets are already available for them.

Residents and businesses would be able to bring these separated materials to Hartland, the CRD said, where they would be transferred offsite and processed through contracts with the private sector.

Wood and wood products are now responsible for the largest single share of the CRD’s overall waste. Those along with non-wood construction and demolition waste account for a third of the region’s waste, but also present the greatest diversion potential.

The bans would also be teamed with raising tipping fees for recyclable construction and demolition waste after CRD rates have fallen below those in other Island and Lower Mainland jurisdictions. The bans and new fees are expected to keep 40,500 tonnes out of the dump each year should the CRD adopt both proposals.

Unsorted renovation and demolition landfill loads fly against the CRD’s principles and would therefore face a double tipping fee rate of $300/tonne, which aims to incentivize haulers to separate materials that could be repurposed.

The CRD board on May 11 voted to have staff bring forward bylaw amendments that would update the fees and ban recyclable items. Those changes are likely to see a final vote in September. The CRD said the impact on waste tonnage and the landfill’s financial system will be monitored once the new policies come into effect.

As Black Press Media previously reported, the proposed changes to dealing with mixed refuse got a mixed reaction from local stakeholders.

Locals builders said the new restrictions could further inflate housing and construction costs, due to the need for increased labour, driving products further distances to get them to recyclers and other offshoot impacts for the industry.

On the other hand, a company that salvages building material through deconstruction rather than demolition said that process – which extends the life of valuable material – is becoming an increasingly economical option and can help lead to healthier and self-reliant communities.

READ: CRD aims to ban recyclable wood and construction waste from landfill