The Metro Vancouver region continues to be one of the most successful communities in North America when it comes to waste reduction and recycling. We recycle almost twice as many materials as the Canadian average and send one third less waste to landfill.
To gauge progress towards regional waste reduction goals, Metro Vancouver monitors how much is recycled and disposed to landfill. Recently published data from the 2019 Recycling and Solid Waste Management Report show that 63% of the region’s waste was recycled in 2019.
Overall, residents generated 4% less waste per person in 2019 compared to 2018. Key findings from the report also showed that:
- 480 kg of waste per person was disposed to the landfill;
- the materials most recycled in the region are concrete, yard and food waste, and paper; and
- in addition to recycling materials, our region reused an estimated 87,500 tonnes of material in 2019, primarily clothing and fashion accessories.
Metro Vancouver has seen waste reduction and recycling success over the past several years, but more recently, progress has slowed. Metro Vancouver is updating its regional solid waste management plan and will be looking at ways to accelerate waste reduction and recycling, while reducing greenhouse gases and promoting a circular economy.
Watch this video to learn more about how the region’s waste is managed.
