In British Columbia, regional districts are required to develop Solid Waste Management Plans under the Environmental Management Act. Solid Waste Management Plans provide a long-term vision for how solid waste is managed within each regional district, including waste reuse, reduction, recycling, recovery, and residual management activities. Solid Waste Management Plans are updated every ten years, with an interim review every five years, to ensure that they meet the needs of the community. For more information on municipal solid waste management plans, please see the Province of British Columbia’s website.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District's Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan was developed in 2007 and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District initiated an update to its solid waste management plan in 2013.
The final version of the Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan (SWRMP) was completed in early 2016 and adopted by the SLRD Board of Directors on March 16, 2016. The Ministry of Environment approved the final version of the SWRMP in April of 2019. The SLRD continues to be committed to achieving the ultimate goal of zero waste.
The Squamish Landfill is on track to reach capacity in late 2028 to early 2029. To ensure residents and businesses continue to have a local disposal option for waste, The District of Squamish is pursuing a lateral expansion of the Landfill to the east of the current Landfill.
At the SLRD December 2021 Board meeting, District of Squamish staff and SLRD Staff presented the project, and the SLRD Board of Directors provided their support for moving forward with the SWRMP-focused amendment.
The District of Squamish and the SLRD are pursuing a focused amendment to the SWRMP which will provide approval for the lateral expansion of the Squamish Landfill.
While not anticipated, if it is determined during the process that a lateral expansion is not possible, or a temporary solution is required, the District will move forward with exporting waste to a landfill outside of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. In the interest of time, the District will explore a focused amendment to the SWRMP for both the lateral expansion and the waste export option as the alternative.
The District of Squamish and the SLRD are providing the opportunity for all residents of the Regional District including member municipalities to engage and provide comments of the Squamish Landfill expansion.
