Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage 2 Fort Nelson, British Columbia

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1 Draft for Review Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage 2 Fort Nelson, British Columbia Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Shellbridge Way Suite 165 Richmond British Columbia V6X 2W Report No 18 April 4, 2016

2 Executive Summary ES.1 Introduction The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) is undertaking an update to the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP). SWMP's are required under the Environmental Management Act as a plan for managing solid waste in regions across the Province. The following presents a summary of the Solid Waste Management Plan Stage 2 Report prepared by GHD Limited (GHD) formerly Conestoga-Rovers & Associates Limited (CRA), which is attached to this Executive Summary. Stage 2 of the SWMP process involves a review and evaluation of the strategies and options available to the NRRM for addressing future solid waste management requirements, which are presented in detail in the attached Report. Specifically, a number of collection and processing strategies are introduced and discussed (Section 3.0), as well as several other mechanisms aimed at increasing diversion and reducing waste landfilling in the NRRM (Section 4.0). All of these options are comparatively evaluated in terms of social, environmental, and financial considerations (Section 6.0). The resulting recommended waste management strategy and implementation schedule is then presented (Section 9.0). ES.2 Solid Waste Management Planning Process The SWMP development process follows several procedural stages identified by the BC Ministry of Environment (MOE), which provides final approval for the document. There are three stages to the waste management planning process: Stage 1 September 2014 Analysis of Existing System Draft Stage 1 Report to NRRM Stage 2 Winter 2015 to Winter 2016 Stage 3 Fall 2015 and on Evaluation of Options May 2015: Submit Draft Stage 2 Report to NRRM (including Stage 1 Report) June 2015 to Jan. 2016: NRRM Staff & Council review of Draft SWMP SWMP Preperation and Adoption October 2015 to May 2016: Public consultation process on SWMP June to July 2016: MOE review and approval of Draft SWMP September 2016: Final SWMP submitted to MOE 15 year strategies and initiatives in action Review and revision of 610 year and longterm strategies and initiatives At each stage, a Report is submitted summarizing the work completed and outcomes identified. The Stage 1 Report was submitted in Draft in September This Stage 2 Report summarizes the analysis of options and includes the Stage 1 findings. Following NRRM staff and council review of the Stage 2 report, the SWMP was drafted for public consultation. Public comments and concerns GHD Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage (18) i

3 will be integrated into the report, prior to submitting the resulting Final SWMP to the MOE for review and final approval. The approved SWMP will provide a roadmap for implementing the waste management strategies, with short term initiatives (1-5 year) put into action first. As the SWMP must be reviewed every 5 years, 6-10 year and longer term initiatives may be reviewed and revised as required during the subsequent review periods. ES.3 Options Analysis Based on the NRRM's existing system and long-term needs, four Waste Management Strategy Scenarios were developed for comparative evaluation: Scenario 1: Existing System 97% to Landfill > Scenario 2: Scenario 3: Flexible Mandated Curbside collection of MSW in the Townsite of Fort Nelson Private MSW collection for residents in rural areas and the oil and gas sector Private recycling depot Updated tipping fees (Table ES.2) Scenario 4: Comprehensive Recycling bins at landfill and encourage recycling for residents Separate wood waste from landfill and grind for landfill cover and landscaping Implement a Share Shed at the landfill HHW round-up day Curbside blue box collection program Organics composting pad at landfill and organics public drop-off Curbside organics collection program Mandatory recycling by-law Commercial cardboard recycling and baling Ban cardboard from landfill Implement a HHW depot at the landfill 54% to Landfill > 46% to Landfill > Ban organics from landfill <43% --> to Landfill A fifth Scenario, representing staged implementation from Scenarios 2 to 4 in 5 year increments, was also analyzed. As shown above, as more diversion strategies are implemented, less waste will end up in landfill, and conversely, a higher diversion rate will be achieved. Capital and operating costs were developed for each of the Scenarios, and financial analysis was performed to assess the most balanced proportion between the following three payment mechanisms to fund the changes under each Scenario: general tax revenue contributions, curbside collection fees, and waste tipping fees. ES.4 Recommendations The following summarizes the recommended combination of waste management strategy and cost recovery mechanism: Of the diversion strategy Scenarios evaluated, Staged Implementation (Scenario 5), consisting of Flexible (Scenario 2) in years 1-5, represents the most viable short term option. It has the lowest net present value (NPV) of all diversion Scenarios (under zero cost recovery), and has a modest goal of reaching a 25 percent target diversion rate in the first five years. While the target diversion rate represents the best case scenario for waste diversion assuming a 81 percent provincial recovery rate of all wastes (Hood, 2013), it is more likely that lower GHD Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage (18) ii

4 diversion rates would be achieved, due to public participation, collection efficiencies, and other factors. Assuming a 62 percent provincial recovery rate (Hood, 2013), a more realistic diversion rate of 11 percent in the first five years was estimated. Mandated (Scenario 3) would follow in years 6-10, with the aim of raising the diversion rate to 54 percent. Raise tipping fees to the proposed baseline fee schedule presented in Table ES.1 in 2016, Funding the system through general revenues buffers against lower tipping fee revenues associated with increased diversion. While all proposed diversion initiatives would increase waste diversion from landfill, completely implementing all diversion programs at once would significantly raise operational costs and would create operational challenges. A staged approach represents the best value for the NRRM, and will generate the same degree of environmental stewardship, on a progressive basis. In general, residents are more likely to adopt programs if they are brought in slowly, are clear, and are convenient. Table ES.1 below presents the diversion goals and the proposed implementation schedule. Table ES.1 Implementation Schedule, Goals for Recommended Strategy Implementation Period Target Rate Waste Management Scenario Year 0 (2016) N/A 3.24% Scenario 1 Existing System Immediate (2016) Years 1-5 ( ) 2017 Up to 25% Scenario 2 Flexible Initiatives Implemented Capital Cost No implementation (existing system) $0 $0 Update tipping fees for cost $0 $0 recovery (Table 6.2). Total Year 0: $0 $0 Install recycling bins at the entrance to the Fort Nelson landfill and encourage recycling for residents. Annual Cost (1) $100,000 $3, Conduct waste audit at the $20,880 $0 landfill scale house and Wide Sky 2018 Separate wood waste and $10,000 $50,000 purchase grinder to produce landfill cover and/or landscaping material Implement a Share Shed at $100,000 $0 the Landfill Conduct a HHW round-up $5,000 $30,000 day. By 2020 Implement a curbside blue $11,000 $150,000 box collection program. By 2020 Install an organics compost $1,019,000 $200,000 pad at the landfill. (2) 2021 Conduct waste audit at the $20,880 $0 landfill scale house and Wide Sky Total Years 1-5: $1,520,000 $433,500 GHD Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage (18) iii

5 Table ES.1 Implementation Schedule, Goals for Recommended Strategy Implementation Period Target Rate Waste Management Scenario Initiatives Implemented Capital Cost Annual Cost (1) Years 6-10 ( ) 2022 Up to 54% Scenario 3 Implement a curbside $275,000 $ Mandated organics collection program. Mandatory recycling by-law. $5,000 $2,000 By 2024 Commercial Cardboard $150,000 $20,600 Recycling and Baling. Concurrent with Ban cardboard from landfill. $5,000 $0 above (2024) By 2026 Implement a HHW depot at $50,000 $0 the landfill. Total Years 6-10: $210,000 $22,600 Years ( ) 2031 Up to 58% Scenario 4 Ban organics from landfill $5,000 $0 Comprehensive (upon active curbside collection program). Total Years 11-25: $5,000 $0 Note: (1) Represents additional annual costs, not cumulative between implementation periods. (2) NRRM has applied for a grant from the Small Communities Fund of the New Building Canada Fund to subsidize the capital cost of the compost technology and infrastructure ES.5 Summary of Year 1-5 Initiatives Install Recycling Bins at the Entrance to the Landfill for Residents Installing cardboard and recycling bins for residential drop-off at the entrance to the landfill would cost approximately $100,000 in capital costs to modify the drop-off area and purchase the recycling bins. The estimated costs to service the bins are $3,500, based on a monthly cost of $150/bin for two bins. Conduct Waste Audits at the Landfill Scale House and Wide Sky Waste audits will be conducted in the first year of program implementation (2017) and at the end of the five year implementation period (2021) to better understand waste composition, estimate diversion rates, and evaluate the performance of the diversion initiatives. A one-time capital cost of $20,880 is estimated for each year in which the audit is conducted. Separate and Process Wood Waste Wood waste would be separated and stockpiled at the landfill. Once every year, a tub grinder would be mobilized to the landfill to chip the wood waste for future use as alternative daily cover. The tub grinder cost is estimated at $50,000 per grinding event. Implement a Share Shed at the Landfill A Share Shed would consist of a shed or similar structure housing a variety of usable, safe goods that residents drop off to trade for other items. A one-time capital cost of $50,000 to construct the store is estimated. Conduct a HHW Round-up Day To support the existing landfill ban on HHW, a round-up day would be held annually. A one-time capital cost of $5,000 to purchase transfer bins and promotional materials is estimated, and an annual operational cost of $30,000 would be required to hire a hazardous waste contractor and have 2 NRRM staff on-site for support. GHD Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage (18) iv

6 Implement a Curbside Blue Box Recycling Program Implementation of a curbside blue box recycling program is an easy and cost effective method for increasing diversion significantly, as residents are already accustomed to curbside MSW collection and are well aware of recycling programs in other municipalities. It is expected that such a program would achieve high participation rates and would be well received by residents. A one-time capital cost of $12,000 to purchase the blue boxes is estimated. An annual operational cost of $150,000 is estimated, which matches the current collections contract for MSW. Install Organics Compost Pad at the Landfill and Allow Organics Public Drop-Off To support the diversion of food waste, cardboard, and other biomass materials, NRRM will install and operate an aerobic composting pad at the landfill site. NRRM has applied for a grant from the Small Communities Fund of the New Building Canada Fund to subsidize the capital cost of the compost technology and infrastructure. The estimated capital cost for installing the pad is $1,019,000, as presented in the application for funding. Plan for and implement a curbside organics collection program Following the installation of the compost pad at the landfill, NRRM will develop a curbside organics collection program to reduce the amount of food waste going to the landfill and result in increased diversion targets. With an extensive education and promotion campaign, high participation rates may be achieved. A one-time capital cost of $275,000 to purchase bear proof organics carts is estimated. Operating costs would be absorbed through current operations as the collection schedule would be changed to a bi-weekly system of garbage collection. ES.6 Summary of Updated Tipping Fees The landfill tipping fees will be updated to recover solid waste management program costs, as shown in Table ES.2 below. Table ES.2 Proposed Changes to Landfill Tipping Fees Material Category Current Proposed Fee Unit Fee Mixed waste - small loads (<200 kg) $5 $10 /load Commercial small loads $10 $10 /load Mixed waste - large loads (>200 kg) $40 $50 /tonne Mixed waste out of region N/A $150 /tonne Clean wood waste (3" diameter and lower) N/A $0 /tonne Clean wood waste (>3" diameter) N/A $100 /tonne Sorted C&D waste N/A $25 /tonne Mixed C&D waste N/A $50 /tonne Vehicle hulks $100 $200 /each Vehicle and light truck tires $2 $20 /each Large tires $4 $20 /each Appliances containing ozone depleting substances $25 $40 /each Asbestos minimum disposal charge $0 $500 + Mixed Waste /each event Tipping Fee Residential bulky items (mattresses, couches, etc.) $0 $20 /each Commercial/industrial bulky items disposal charge N/A $500 /each GHD Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage (18) v

7 Table of Contents 1. Introduction Plan Area and Population Service Area Current Waste Management System Solid Waste Management Planning Process 3 3. Potential Waste Management Strategies Collection Processing Recyclables Organics Product Stewardship Materials and Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Other Items Other Mechanisms Reduction and Reuse Programs Fees and Bans Multi-Family Partnerships Education and Outreach Other Sectors Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Sectors Contingency Planning and Emergency Management Comparison of Waste Management Strategies Service Fees and Revenue Structure Tipping Fees Curbside Collection Service Fees General Tax Revenue Contribution Financial Analysis Financial Modeling Overview Inputs and Assumptions Model Results and Discussion Recommended Waste Management Strategy and Cost Recovery Mechanism Servicing of Rural Communities Implementation of Short Term (1-5 Year) Initiatives Five Year Implementation Plan Budget Schedule Roles and Responsibilities References 40 GHD Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Solid Waste Management Plan Stage (18) i