Waste Management and Recycling Concepts

Waste management encompasses the collection, treatment, and disposal of solid waste, ensuring environmental protection and resource recovery. Metro Vancouver’s Integrated Waste Management plan includes key objectives to minimize waste generation, maximize reuse, recycling, and material recovery, recover energy from waste post-recycling, and safely dispose of remaining waste in landfills.

Sanitary landfills are engineered sites designed to safely contain non-hazardous waste. Their construction involves multiple layers that effectively manage leachate, which is the liquid that drains or seeps from solid waste, by preventing its infiltration into the surrounding ground. This is achieved through a liner system and leachate collection systems that facilitate proper drainage and treatment before release into the environment. Gas emissions from decomposing landfill material, primarily methane, are dealt with through recovery systems that collect this gas for energy use. The composition of landfill gas includes methane, carbon dioxide, and trace gases, and it is referred to as “renewable” natural gas because it can be captured and utilized as an energy source, thus providing an alternative to fossil fuels.

In Metro Vancouver, landfills are primarily located in the cities of Vancouver and Delta, with the Vancouver landfill notably situated on Burns Bog, a wetland. This location is optimal for landfill operations but poses environmental hazards, including the risk of leachate contamination and greenhouse gas emissions affecting the bog ecosystem.

At the end of their operational life, landfills are decommissioned through rehabilitation processes that involve cleanup, restoration efforts, and repurposing the site into parks or natural reserves, allowing for ecological recovery. Examples of such transformations can be found in the Lower Mainland.

Aside from landfills, Metro Vancouver employs waste-to-energy facilities, which convert non-recyclable solid household waste into energy through incineration. This method enables energy recovery but has advantages such as reducing landfill use and disadvantages, including emissions and the need for expensive technology.

Liquid waste refers to waste materials in liquid form, such as wastewater from households and industries. In Metro Vancouver, it is managed through treatment facilities that ensure safe disposal and environmental protection. Additionally, energy can be recovered from liquid waste through anaerobic digestion or other processes that convert organic materials into biogas, which can be used for energy production.