ILLEGAL DUMPING IN METRO VANCOUVER

Paul HendersonGENERAL MANAGER, SOLID WASTE SERVICES

RCBC Conference, June 21, 2017

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Illegal Dumping in Metro Vancouver

• Illegally dumped/large item pick-up

• 32,000 mattresses

• 59,000 bulky furniture

• 622 gypsum incidences

• $2.5 million/year in

illegal dumping municipal clean-up

• $2.5 million/year in municipal large item pick-up

costs for Metro Vancouver municipalities

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Illegal dumping in Metro Vancouver

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Metro Vancouver Strategies

• Tipping fee waiver for volunteer

clean-up projects

• Surcharge on unsecured loads

• Data collection on dumping incidents

and costs to member municipalities

• Education & awareness campaign (mid-

2017)

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• Survey findings:

• 60% of residents have dumped illegally

• Main drivers: inconvenience and cost

• 90% of residents want to protect environment, keep community clean and find dumping annoying

• Campaign approach:

• Focus on general public

• Promote municipal programs and highlight how to dump legally

• Key themes – it’s not acceptable and not right

Education & Awareness Campaign

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• Large item pick-up

• Volunteer clean-ups

• City-wide garage sale

• Recycling depots

• Education and advertising

• Hazardous waste collection event or drop-off depots

• Adopt-a-Block, Street, Park, Stream, or Watershed programs

• Cameras in abandoned waste hotspots

Municipal Initiatives & Programs

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Questions?