Coast residents are encouraged to engage in "trash talk" – not the confrontational conversation kind but discussions on the future of the area's garbage and recycling.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) has launched the engagement phase of Solid Waste Management Plan update. It describes the existing plan, produced in 2011, as a roadmap of how the Coast communities will manage garbage, recycling, yard and food waste programs for the next decade.
The update will need to consider what will happen with the Coast's garbage once the area's only landfill reaches capacity. The SCRD projects that could occur in mid-2025. It will also outline the programs, services, infrastructure and policies that will help achieve the goal of diverting more and disposing of less waste in the next 10-year period.
According to a May 8 SCRD press release, a recent report indicated that 46 per cent of materials being sent to local landfills could have been recycled. Despite that, the amount of garbage being produced on the Coast is about 421 kg. per person per year, only slightly higher than the target disposal rate set by the province.
That document included a link to a feedback form that the public can use to let the regional district know what services they use, and what their priorities are when looking at the future of solid waste management. For more information on the plan update, the public can visit the Lets Talk Trash page on the SCRD website.
Successes from the 2011 plan included organics diversion and Waste Reduction Initiatives Program, pointed out the press release.
According to the release, the SCRD will review the 2011 plan and the update, to confirm guiding principles, evaluate long-term waste disposal options and financial implications.
