Metro Vancouver will securely dispose of approximately 1,500 tonnes of repatriated Canadian waste shipped from the Philippines at its Waste-to-Energy Facility in Burnaby.
The Waste-to-Energy Facility was selected by Environment and Climate Change Canada as the preferred choice for disposal due to its proximity to the Port of Vancouver and its designation as a facility authorized to receive waste under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s International Waste Directive.
The facility, which has operated for more than 25 years and produces enough electricity to power approximately 16,000 homes, is the most environmentally sustainable option to recover energy and resources from waste that cannot be reused or recycled.
According to characterization studies conducted in the Philippines in 2014 and 2015, the material mostly consists of paper and mixed plastics with low levels of contaminants such as electronics and household waste. It was initially shipped from the Port of Vancouver to the Philippines by a private business for recycling in 2013 and 2014.
Metro Vancouver is working with Environment and Climate Change Canada on the logistics of receiving the waste. Environment and Climate Change Canada is now removing the waste from the Philippines for delivery to the Port of Vancouver, and it is anticipated that Metro Vancouver will safely dispose of the waste before the end of the summer. The estimated 1,500 tonnes of waste are equivalent to about two days’ worth of processing capacity for the Waste-to-Energy Facility.
The material will be accepted as Special Handle Waste under Metro Vancouver’s Tipping Fee Bylaw, at the rate prescribed in the bylaw of $250 per tonne. All costs associated with the shipping and disposal of the waste will be assumed by the Government of Canada.
The Waste-to-Energy Facility was selected by Environment and Climate Change Canada as the preferred choice for disposal due to its proximity to the Port of Vancouver and its designation as a facility authorized to receive waste under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s International Waste Directive.
The facility, which has operated for more than 25 years and produces enough electricity to power approximately 16,000 homes, is the most environmentally sustainable option to recover energy and resources from waste that cannot be reused or recycled.
According to characterization studies conducted in the Philippines in 2014 and 2015, the material mostly consists of paper and mixed plastics with low levels of contaminants such as electronics and household waste. It was initially shipped from the Port of Vancouver to the Philippines by a private business for recycling in 2013 and 2014.
Metro Vancouver is working with Environment and Climate Change Canada on the logistics of receiving the waste. Environment and Climate Change Canada is now removing the waste from the Philippines for delivery to the Port of Vancouver, and it is anticipated that Metro Vancouver will safely dispose of the waste before the end of the summer. The estimated 1,500 tonnes of waste are equivalent to about two days’ worth of processing capacity for the Waste-to-Energy Facility.
The material will be accepted as Special Handle Waste under Metro Vancouver’s Tipping Fee Bylaw, at the rate prescribed in the bylaw of $250 per tonne. All costs associated with the shipping and disposal of the waste will be assumed by the Government of Canada.