REPORT TO COUNCIL

DATE:

April 11, 2016

SUBMITTED BY:

Jim Chute
Chief Administrative Officer

SUBJECT:

Solid Waste Management

REPORT NO.: 16-055

FILE NO.: 1-6-7

PURPOSE
This report has been prepared in response to Councils direction at the April 4, 2016 Regular
Meeting that: Staff be directed to provide Council with a report detailing the history of solid waste
management in the City and region as a whole, including costs, and how they are distributed
between stakeholders.
SUMMARY/BACKGROUND
From incorporation, until the mid-1990s, the City of Dawson Creek operated a stand-alone solid
waste disposal program. Included in that service was a municipally owned landfill located on the
eastern boundary of the City, immediately north of the creek course. Collection of residential solid
waste was contracted to various companies over time. For most of that period, the City maintained
a fleet of commercial garbage containers and enforced a monopoly requiring commercial customers
to use the Citys containers. Collection of the commercial containers was generally contracted out,
although, there are some records indicating in-house collection was periodically utilized. Landfill
operations were also normally contracted out, with some periods where in-house staff was used
instead. Salvage rights were an integral part of most landfill operating contracts.
Mainly, the Citys independent solid waste program was funded from user fees. Particularly, rates
paid by commercial customers subsidized residential collection charges. In some circumstances,
general taxation was used for specific purposes, such as the purchase of land and equipment.
However, the solid waste program was operated more like a stand-alone utility than a City
department. In fact, excess revenue over expenses was normally generated, even after funding
ancillary initiatives such as the Downtown Clean-Up Program and the Annual Spring Pitch-In
Campaign.
However, the Citys stand-alone solid waste disposal faced significant issues by the late 1980s.
Environmental regulations had changed dramatically and the landfill required considerable
upgrading to protect the adjoining riparian area. Additionally, the remaining lifespan of the landfill

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was relatively short and the City faced expenditures to acquire and develop a new landfill site as
well as to close and remediate the existing site. The fleet of commercial containers were aging and
required replacement. Environmental regulations began requiring specialized treatment of various
items in the solid waste stream (everything from animal carcasses to used oil or tires). The use of
the landfill by the surrounding area (including Alberta residents) was problematic and controversial.
These issues were not unique to Dawson Creek and, in fact, existed throughout British Columbia.
Additionally, there was no uniformity in how various jurisdictions addressed the concept of reducing
solid waste streams. Dawson Creek had no program or initiative around attempting to diminish the
amount of solid waste generated by the community. For these reasons, the Provincial Government
amended the Waste Management Act in 1989. The regime that was created established Solid Waste
Management as a service to be delivered by Regional Districts, rather than individual local
governments. All Regional Districts were required to submit to the Province a Solid Waste
Management Plan (SWMP) by December 31, 1995. As a companion piece, the Provincial
Government in 1989 also passed a municipal solid waste management strategy. This strategy
mandated reducing the amount of municipal solid waste requiring disposal by 50% by the year 2000.
The strategy was based on the sequential hierarchy of the 3 Rs reduce, reuse, recycle plus
recovery and residual management. It is important to understand that the provincial regulatory
actions always combined two objectives: One is regionalizing solid waste services to promote
efficiency, regulatory compliance and long-range planning. The other is to promote strategies to
reduce the flow of solid waste into landfills.
The legislation, further amended in 1992, set out the framework for Regional Districts and their
member municipalities to develop and adopt a SWMP, implement and fund the SWMP, and to
monitor, evaluate and amend the SWMP. As you can appreciate, this was a very time consuming
and controversial process in the Peace River Regional District as the region transitioned from seven
individual stand-alone service delivery models to one coordinated regional approach. Compromises
were required and some special arrangements were necessary. One example is the hauling
subsidy provided to Dawson Creek to offset costs to transport domestic solid waste to the landfill in
Bessborough. That was a concession to Dawson Creek in lieu of purchasing land close to the City to
establish a new landfill, which was Dawson Creeks preference.
The PRRDs SWMP is an organic document, being amended periodically as situations change. The
current version can be viewed on the Regional Districts website. The general conditions established
initially have generally been maintained. In brief, each municipality is responsible to arrange and
fund the collection of residential solid waste in their community. Post-collection charges (land filling
or alternative disposal, regulatory compliance, planning and development, education and
awareness) are regional functions. When originally conceptualized the regional responsibilities were
to be funded 50% from taxation and 50% from user fees.
The current PRRD SWMP was adopted in 2009, after an extensive two year stakeholder and public
consultation process. The SWMP provides a Ministry of Environment (MOE) approved roadmap for
service improvements and solid waste operations over a 20 year timeframe. It is inevitable that new
considerations, technologies and issues will require adjustments to the plan over time. Any

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alteration to the SWMP requires MOE approval.

The PRRD SWMP has a number of guiding principles for implementation. These include standardized
services for rural and urban residents, workable waste reduction and diversion initiatives, waste
management according to the 5 Rs, incentive-based tipping fees to encourage waste reduction and
preference for programs that encourage extended producer responsibility under provincial
stewardship plans. A technical committee (on which the Director of Development Services sits as
City representative) assists the PRRDs political oversite committee in monitoring, evaluating and
implementing the plan. The plan is designed to be implemented in four phases covering everything
from establishing a baseline set of practices to reviewing the plan in twenty years. Most of the
identified Phase 1 & 2 objectives have been completed and the focus is on the Phase 3 objectives.
These are to continue to improve programs and infrastructure and to explore long-term waste
management facility options.
The PRRD solid waste function basically is comprised of four main services: transfer stations for
collecting waste, hauling that waste to landfills or recycling centres; processing and shipping of
recyclables to markets; and landfilling of residual waste. At this time, the transfer station system is
being upgraded to replace 39 unattended sites with 20 manned facilities. New transfer stations are
utilizing compactor/roll-off bins. Tipping fees are charged at all transfer stations for waste, but
recyclable materials are accepted free of charge. Share sheds are provided at all transfer stations to
promote waste diversion and reuse of materials at no cost. Three landfills are in operation
(Chetwynd, Bessborough, North Peace).
The Regional District was an early adopter of the MMBC recycling program and has implemented it
at all new Rural Transfer Stations. In 2015, 24,800 kg of PPP recycling through the MMBC program
was diverted in this fashion. The PRRD contracts the Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT) to
deliver waste reduction educational programs to the public and the ICI (Industrial, Commercial,
Institutional) sector.
As you would expect, all of this activity comes with a significant and increasing price tag. The total
budget for regional solid waste management for 2016 is $18,974,155. Of this, about $7.5 million will
come from tax requisition, $5.0 million from borrowing, $2.0 million from reserves and about $4.5
million from fees. The original target of a 50-50 split taxes and fees has been eroded over time.
Since this is a region wide service, requisitions are calculated based on assessed values throughout
the region. Uniquely in our Regional District, the bulk of industrial assessment is in the
unincorporated areas. As a result, the total tax requisition for the four electoral areas is $4.8 million,
whereas the total requisition from all member municipalities is $2.3 million (the other $0.4million is
secured from grants-in-lieu for properties owned by senior governments or their crown
corporations).
This creates a dynamic where the four electoral area directors perceive themselves as paying for the
service while receiving less benefit than their municipal colleagues and also having less say in the
governance than those municipal directors. Drilling down, however reveals that the issues are not
that simple. Of the $4.8 million raised in electoral areas, only about $720,000 is collected from rural

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residents. The splits are much different in municipalities. The 2016 requisition for Dawson Creek is
$544,343 and $260,886 (47.9%) will come from residential properties. The same circumstances
apply in the other six municipalities. In total, urban residential properties will pay a combined $1.1
million compared to the combined $720,000 total for rural residents, for services that are common
to all. Urban residential properties pay separately for garbage collection.
These tensions are currently focused on the topic of curbside recycling. Two municipalities (Pouce
Coupe and Fort St. John) are currently starting curbside programs. The current parameters of the
SWMP result in the municipality bearing the collection costs, but the regional function funding the
transportation to recycling centres, plus the processing and shipping of recyclables to market. This is
a good thing in terms of reducing residual waste to the landfill, meeting Provincial and internal
reduction targets and ultimately reducing costs for new landfills and remediating existing landfills. In
the short term, however, significant costs are added to the services in a stream that has no access
point for fees and will be borne through the tax requisition portion. Assuming that 25% of current
volumes can be diverted through a curbside recycling program, the total costs to the service of all
municipalities going this route would be about $2 million in 2016. That is both
transportation/sorting/shipping and foregone tipping fees at landfills. In the 2016 budget, over
$900,000 is allocated for these two expenses for Fort St. John alone. This has resulted in vibrant
conversations at the regional board table.
Unsurprisingly, the view of administration at the City of Dawson Creek is that the costs are
necessary to meet reduction targets set by the Provincial Government and internally by the PRRD
and should be borne universally. The PRRD has a high hill to climb in meeting these targets and it
should be expected that it will be a costly process. The Provincial Governments long-term target is
to lower the municipal solid waste disposal rate to 350 kg per person by 2020. To accomplish that,
they set an interim target of reducing the rate to 550 kg per person in 2013. Overall, that goal was
met. In 2013 British Columbians disposed of 536 kg of municipal solid waste per person. Not so
much in the PRRD, however.
The Peace River Regional District had the third highest rate of solid waste disposal amongst all
Regional Districts in the Province in 2013. Only Fraser-Fort George and Northern Rockies were
higher. At 808 kg per person in 2013, the Peace River Regional District exceeded Provincial targets
by 47%. This still represents significant progress, as the rate was 1,183 kg per person in 2007.
However, more will need to be done, and municipal curbside recycling has been generally effective
in other areas of the Province. In fact, the Province of British Columbia has progressed remarkably
since their 1989 and 1992 legislative reactions. In 2013, the BC municipal solid waste disposal rate of
536 kg per person was second lowest in Canada, behind only Nova Scotias 376 kg per person.
Locally, however, we are still a work in progress.
ALTERNATIVES

No action is requested, the report is provided for information only.

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IMPLICATIONS
(1) Social

Solid Waste Disposal is generally considered to be a core service and was

identified as essential in the Citys previous service policy.

(2) Environmental

All Solid Waste Management Plans fall under the regulatory authority of
the Ministry of Environment and must be approved by their Ministry. The
entire focus of the legislation is related to the protection of the
environment.

(3) Personnel

The City of Dawson Creek has generally delivered solid waste disposal
services through contractors rather than in-house personnel. The Peace
River Regional District also delivers the bulk of its solid waste disposal
services through contractors.

(4) Financial

As described in report.

(5) Risk Assessment

Compliance:

N/A

Risk Impact:

N/A

Internal Control Process: N/A

GUIDING PRINCIPLES
We will demonstrate respect for the future of the earth by fostering recycling, reuse, and reduced
consumption and by advocating for the preservation of clean air, clean water, and healthy land.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

N/A

IMPLEMENTATION/COMMUNICATION

N/A

RECOMMENDATION
That Report No. 16-055 from the Chief Administrative Officer re: Solid Waste Management; be
received for information.
Respectfully submitted,
ORIGINAL SIGNED BY

Jim Chute
Chief Administrative Officer
JC/kb

APPROVED FOR AGENDA BY CAO