FAQs

In British Columbia, regional districts are responsible for preparing and submitting a Solid Waste Management Plan under the BC Environmental Management Act. This plan reflects a long-term vision for how each regional district manages its solid waste, including how we plan to reduce waste in our community.

Solid waste includes recyclables, compostable materials and garbage from homes, businesses, institutions, construction, and demolition sites.

Solid waste services on the Sunshine Coast can be hard to navigate because local governments are responsible for many different services. Each community has unique solid waste services. Communities that have curbside collection (garbage, food waste and/or recycling) pay additional user fees depending on the services they receive.

The SCRD anticipates the Sechelt Landfill will reach capacity by mid-2025. This means that garbage will no longer be accepted at the Sechelt Landfill and must be disposed of elsewhere.

No decisions have been made about what the next long-term disposal option will be.

Options initially under consideration included siting and developing a new landfill, exporting waste outside of the region, building a waste-to-energy facility and expanding the Sechelt Landfill. Based on a completed Future Waste Disposal Options Analysis Study in 2021, it was found that waste-to-energy was unattainable due to cost, so the SCRD is continuing work to better understand the feasibility and cost of the other options. 

Determining the next steps for long-term waste disposal in the region will be part of the solid waste management plan update.

In 2023, the province approved an amendment to the 2011 Solid Waste Management Plan to add the option to temporarily export solid waste outside the region for disposal, should the Sechelt Landfill reach capacity before a new waste disposal option is built and operational.

Exporting waste outside the region is one of the potential long-term disposal options currently under consideration.

Presenting options and associated costs to the community will be part of the solid waste management plan update later in 2023. 

• It could cost $30 to 50 million to build a new landfill.
• It could cost $5 to 10 million to build a new transfer station to export waste off coast.

The SCRD does not currently offer curbside recycling in rural areas, and instead provides recycling depots. The Board directed staff to further discuss curbside recycling through this solid waste management plan update.

The District of Sechelt and shíshálh Nation Government District provides this service to its residents.