Vancity 'State of Waste' report says province falling short of targets
'More emphasis needed on waste avoidance and consequences of unnecessary consumption,' says report
A new Vancity report entitled "State of Waste" aims to uncover how B.C. is stacking up in the war on trash.
The answer, as it turns out, is pretty good.
But the credit union's 16-page document points out there is plenty of room for improvement
According to 2016 Stats Canada data, B.C.'s 549 kilograms of garbage per capita — that's waste sent to landfill or incinerator — is the second lowest of all provinces, and 30 per cent better than the national average. (Only Nova Scotia recorded a lower annual rate at 396 kilos per person.)
Still, 549 kilos is a lot.
More pointedly, it's a long way off the 2020 province-wide target of 350 kilos per person.
The report says the answer is for individuals, business and government to ramp up efforts around consuming less, consuming smarter, wasting less and waste diversion.
As an example, the report sites the success of the 2015 Metro Vancouver organics disposal ban which has diverted about 60,000 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill.
The report also says more emphasis needs to be placed on "avoidance" and "reduction," the top two strategies in the waste management hierarchy. That means not buying over-packaged products or disposable items in the first place. And more stores in British Columbia are offering food and other products without packaging, leaving it up to the consumer to bring their own containers, it notes.
According to the report, without improvements, British Columbia will not come close to meeting the 2020 target.