You can help determine the CSRD’s Solid Waste Management Plan

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) is seeking public input for a review of its Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP. Decisions made over the next few weeks will affect how garbage and recyclables are handled and how much these services will cost. You can help determine the outcome by providing input through an online survey.

“The SWMP is intended to investigate economic, environmental and socially sound ways to reduce the amount of waste being buried in our landfills,” Ben Van Nostrand, the CSRD’s team leader for Environmental Health Services, says in a statement released on Wednesday, September 24. “Saving landfill space now will save money by postponing the need to construct new landfill sites, or the need to resort to other costly ways to manage waste in the future.”

There are a number of options currently available to residents and businesses to sort waste and keep recyclable material out of the landfill, however recent audits of all regional district landfills show that many recyclable items are still ending up buried.

“The audit results show that 17% of material in the garbage was recyclable plastic and another 17% was paper, even though there are accessible recycling bins in all CSRD communities,” Van Nostrand said. “The results indicate that more needs to be done in order to ensure that only garbage ends up buried.”

Public input is essential to help guide decisions on future programs such as food waste collection, hazardous waste drop off facilities, demolition waste separation and expansion of recycling collection services to businesses and residents that currently do not have it. Open House events are being planned for October, which will give residents the opportunity to provide more input. An online survey is currently available on the CSRD website. Whether you strongly support or oppose the suggested programs, the CSRD needs your opinion.

Residents that complete the survey will have the opportunity to win a $250 Visa gift card.