Waste in British Columbia
Image source: Government of Canada, 2017
Overview of waste in British Columbia
Residential vs. Non-Residential waste in British Columbia, 2020
In 2020, 1,068,244 tonnes of waste (38.1%) was generated by residential sources in British Columbia, while 1,735,187 tonnes of waste (61.9%) was generated by non-residential sources. In total, 2,803,431 tonnes of municipal solid waste was generated in British Columbia in 2020 (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Waste production in British Columbia, 2012-2022
Residential waste in British Columbia has slightly increased overall, reflecting a growth of 12.7% between 947,542 tonnes in 2012 to 1,068,244 tonnes in 2020. Then, it decreased by 0.4% to 1,063,513 tonnes in 2022.
Non-residential waste in British Columbia also increased generally, going from 1,656,605 tonnes in 2012 to 1,782,307 tonnes in 2022, reflecting a 7.6% increase. There was however a slight decline between 2014 and 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Waste per capita in British Columbia, 2012-2022
With a population of 5,173,896, the waste per capita of residential waste in British Columbia was 0.21 tonnes in 2022. There was a slight decrease in waste per capita by 5.6 % from 0.18 in 2012 to 0.17 in 2016. Then, there was an increase of 23.5 % to 0.21 in 2022.
For non-residential waste, the waste per capita in British Columbia was 0.34 tonnes. The waste per capita increased by 6.25 % from 0.32 in 2012 to 0.34 in 2014. Then, it decreased again by 2.9 % to 0.33 in 2016. However, after that, there has been a general increase of 3.0 % to 0.34 in 2022 (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Composition of residential waste in British Columbia, 2022
For residential waste in British Columbia, 426,291 tonnes were organic waste, 210,987 were food waste, 181,669 tonnes were yard waste, 134,446 tonnes were paper fibers, 73,641 were glass waste, 41,821 tonnes were plastic waste, and 126,427 tonnes were all other waste (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Composition of non-residential waste in British Columbia, 2022
For non-residential waste in British Columbia, 400,199 tonnes were paper fibers (35.3%), 198,305 tonnes were organic waste (17.5%), 155,282 tonnes were construction waste (13.7%), 88,871 tonnes were food waste (7.8%), 63,527 tonnes were ferrous metals (5.6%), 60,890 tonnes were yard waste (5.4%), 37,468 tonnes were glass waste (3.3%), 35,094 tonnes were mixed metals (3.1%), and 48,544 tonnes were other organic waste (4.3%), and 47,058 tonnes were other forms of waste (4.1%) (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Solid waste assets in British Columbia, 2022
In British Columbia, there are 507 solid waste assets. Specifically, there are 225 transfer stations assets (44.4%), 125 inactive closed sites (inactive engineered landfills and dumps) (24.7%), 44 active dump sites (8.7%), 31 materials recovery facilities (6.1%), 27 composting facilities (5.3%), and 4 other solid waste assets (0.8%) (Statistics Canada, 2022).
References
Government of Canada. (2024). Solid waste diversion and disposal. Retrieved June 16, 2024, from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/solid-waste-diversion-disposal.html
Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 38-10-0138-01 Waste materials diverted, by type and by source DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3810013801-eng
Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 17-10-0009-01 Population estimates, quarterly. DOI:https://doi.org/10.25318/1710000901-eng
Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 38-10-0032-01 Disposal of waste, by source DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3810003201-eng
Statistics Canada. (2022). Table 34-10-0236-01 Inventory of publicly owned solid waste assets, Infrastructure Canada DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3410023601-eng
Government of Canada. (2017). Provincial and territorial symbols. Retrieved August 15, 2024, from https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/provincial-territorial-symbols-canada.html
Notes
”Misc.” data refers to miscellaneous data, and indicates any form of waste adding up to less than 3.0% individually, added together in one category for better overview.