Vancouver, BC Diversion = 63% (2017)

Recently, the city of Vancouver stopped using diversion rates as a key metric for waste reduction.

Diversion rates represent a percentage of total waste generated – meaning that even if the city is increasing its waste, diversion rates will still rise. So instead, Vancouver is now measuring total tons of waste disposed.

The city has the ambitious goal of becoming the world’s greenest city. As part of that, Vancouver aims to reach zero waste by 2040. With a combined recycling and composting rate of 62%, Vancouver knows it’s reaching the limits of standard municipal waste programs.

So the city is taking a non-standard approach and targeting demolition waste and single-use items.

One of Vancouver’s newest policies is the Green Demolition Bylaw, which requires a minimum percentage of residential demolition waste be diverted from the landfill. The policy currently applies to all homes built prior to 1940 and will be expanded incrementally to include newer homes.

Anyone applying for a demolition permit must submit documentation of the age and character of the home in question. “Character homes” must divert at least 90% of their demolition materials from the waste stream, while all other homes must divert at least 75%. The applicant pays a permit deposit, refundable in full or in part depending on compliance.

Meanwhile, the city is also phasing in its Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy which targets single-use disposable items like plastic straws and polystyrene cups. Between 2019 and 2025, Vancouver will:

• Implement bans on some existing products
• Require that new products contain a minimum amount of recycled material
• Launch education and outreach initiatives
• Require businesses to reduce usage, engage in sustainable purchasing practices and have recycling collection points

However, Vancouver is facing some challenges on the road is zero waste. Crucially, many of the city’s focus areas, like revamping regulatory processes and rethinking non-residential waste streams, are outside the local government’s direct control.

So like many cities, Vancouver is taking the lead. The city will work with the national government to develop a universal single-use plastics reduction strategy, which could positively impact cities and towns nationwide.

Vancouver is also looking to expand a sophisticated list of producer requirements put forth by British Columbia. Already, the requirements affect solvents, paints, batteries, pharmaceuticals, oil, electronics, tires, beverage containers and packaging materials. In the future, Vancouver will add requirements for single-use items, textiles, carpet, furniture, and construction and demolition waste.