Here is a list of questions frequently asked to the Peace River Regional District. Click on the question to see the answer.
Landfills
- How many landfills are there in the Peace River Regional District?
- There are three landfills within the Peace River Regional District. One located near Fort St. John, one located 16km west of Dawson Creek, and one located in Chetwynd. For more information on hours and locations click here.
- Who operates the Landfills?
- While the landfills are managed by the Peace River Regional District, all three landfills are operated by the same contractor, GFL Environmental (formerly SSG Environmental), since August 2015.
- How much does it cost to operate a landfill?
- Depending on the landfill, the operation budget is between $580,000.00 and $1,695,000.00. This cost includes the contractor supplied equipment and qualified staff to operate and properly manage landfill operations. Landfill operations include attendant services, site management, constructing cells, compacting waste, and covering waste.
- Why does it cost $15 for a printout receipt?
- This is service fee for utilizing a Peace River Regional District infrastructure (scale) without using the facility to drop off waste. The cost is for use of the scale to weigh the material in question and to be provided with a scale ticket without using the facility.
Transfer Stations
- How many transfer stations are in the Peace River Regional District?
- There are 16 attended transfer stations and there are 13 unattended transfer stations. For more information on hours and locations click here
- How much does it cost to build a transfer station?
- The cost to construct a transfer station varies. It depends on location and type of sites (Tier 2 vs Tier1). Generally the cost is approximately $300,000 to $500,000 to construct.
- How much does it cost to operate a transfer station?
- Based on a 26 hour work week, the operational budget is between, $110,000 to $120,000 per year. Variables in the operational cost depends on hauling.
- Why are the Rural Transfer Stations are only open 26 hours instead of 30?
- The operational schedule for these sites were approved by the Regional District Board when the first sites came on line. If residents are unhappy with current operation hours they can contact the Regional District and staff can look at shifting hours. This has been done at a few sites already.
- How much money does Tervita get to operate the Rural Transfer Stations?
- Tervita receives approximately $110,000 to $120,000 to operate the rural transfer station. These prices includes supplying an attendant during operational hours and hauling services for the bins in which the materials are collected.
- Who operates the share shed?
- The share sheds are developed and managed by the Regional District. This is a program that the Regional District developed and put in place. The attendants at the transfer stations (Contractor’s personnel), operate them on behalf of the Peace River Regional District.
- Will the attendant help unload material from my vehicle?
- It is not a requirement of attendants to unload resident’s vehicles, however most will.
- What type of transfer stations left to be constructed and where?
- There are 6 transfer stations left to be constructed to complete the network. All six of these will be Tier 2 Transfer Stations the locations will be in Doig/Milligan/Osborn, Lebell, Progress (by Highway 29), Groundbirch, Hasler Flats, and Lone Prairie.
- What is the difference between a Tier 1 and Tier 2 Transfer Station?
- The following chart shows what each transfer stations offer:
Tier 1 Tier 2 Share Shed Household Garbage Recycling – Recycle BC Program of Printed Paper and Packaging Bulky Waste Metal Wood Waste Tires Plaint Plus (Only at Prespatou Transfer Station) Electronics Recycling (Pilot at Wonowon, Prespatou, and Tomslake Transfer Stations.
- Are Landfills and Transfer Stations open on holidays?
- The landfills and transfer stations are opened all holidays expect Christmas Day (December 25) and New Year’s Day (January 1). The aim is to keep the sites open and accessible during the other holidays for customers who wish to use them.
- The lights at the sites are always on, who do I contact that is happening?
- The lights at the site are on a timer and if there is power bump or outage the lights need to be reset. The attendants are trained to reset set them, so you can speak to them, or you can contact the PRRD at 250-782-3200.
Illegal Dumping
- How is illegal dumping reported/managed?
- If you witness illegal dumping on crown land call the RAPP (Report all Poachers and Polluters) Line at 1-877-952-7277 or Cell Dial #7277 or click here.
- What happens to the person who illegally dumps waste?
- If a person illegally dumps waste on Peace River Regional District property, under By-Law enforcement they can be fined $200 dollars. If a personal illegals dumps on Crown Land, the Ministry of Environment must be contacted via the RAPP Line. Conservation Officers then have the ability to fine the person. If illegal dumping is not reported and tracked then nothing can be done.
Coupons
- I didn’t get my coupons, how do I get them?
- If you did not receive your coupons and would like them, call the Peace River Regional District at 250-784-3200 and they can be mailed to you.
- Can I pick up my neighbours/friends coupons for them?
- Unfortunately you cannot. You can only pick up your own coupons.
Waste Disposal
- How much money does it cost per kilo to process the waste?
- To determine the cost per kilo is a much larger question. Generally landfill cost are calculated by determining landfill lifecycle costs. This cost looks at everything from constructing the landfill, to operation, and closure of the entire system. For the Peace River Regional District the landfill life cycle cost are approximately $53m3 or $78.60/tonne.
- Why is there an additional fee for some materials (tires, batteries, etc.) at the Peace River Regional District sites, while there are places in town that takes them for free and gives you money?
- The Peace River Regional District is not financially supported by all Stewardship Agencies in the Province, which would normally fund the processing and “hauling away” of these materials. Simply, the PRRD does not receive money to collect and process some materials (batteries/tires) hence the tipping fee. The tipping helps to cover the cost associated with the PRRD and our Contractors for managing that material. It is recognized that there are private businesses that will take these materials and as such the pRRRdy Says app was developed to help located these places. The app can be downloaded on your phone or accessed here.
- Can a community hall get a waiver for tipping fees for events and activities held?
- Unfortunately no you cannot. There is no formal policy for staff to waive the tipping fees for community hall functions. Such a request would have to come from an Area Director and be approved by the Regional Board.
- When do the bulky bins arrive at the Tier 2 Transfer Stations?
- The bulky bins come every spring and fall for a two week period. During the spring, the bins are placed the week before and after May Long Weekend. During the fall, the bins are placed the week before and after Thanksgiving weekend. For 2020 the PRRD will be piloting the 2020 Spring Clean-Up later in the spring and for the 2020 Fall Clean-Up the bins will arrive earlier in October. For 2020 Spring Clean-Up will occur the first two weeks of June – June 1 to June 14, 2020. For the Fall 2020 Clean-Up will occur the first two weeks of October – October 5 to October 18, 2020.0
- Why can’t we have the bulky bins during a different time of year or something, instead of seeding and harvesting?
- The simple fact is that there is no “good time” for putting out these bins. The process for getting bids for available contractors to provide the best price take time and has to be planned well in advance. Setting the bins out in May and October long weekends offers consistency in that people can plan their bigger clean-up projects around these times more easily.
- For 2020 the PRRD will be piloting the 2020 Spring Clean-Up later in the spring and for the 2020 Fall Clean-Up the bins will arrive earlier in October. For 2020 Spring Clean-Up will occur the first two weeks of June – June 1 to June 14, 2020. For the Fall 2020 Clean-Up will occur the first two weeks of October – October 5 to October 18, 2020.
Recycling
- Who gets the money for the recycling collected at the rural transfer stations?
- The rural transfer stations operate the Recycle BC recycling program, a provincial stewardship program. The Peace River Regional District receives the revenue that is generated from the recycling collected. In 2017, the PRRD received $3,634.92 in revenue from Recycle BC material.
- Who is Recycle BC?
- Retailers, manufacturers, and other organizations that supply packaging and printed paper to BC residents are responsible for collecting and recycling these materials once residents are finished with them. This is called extended producer responsibility, or EPR. Recycle BC is a non-profit organization that uses fees paid by these organizations to finance residential recycling programs in many areas across BC. These programs are either offered directly or collaboratively with local governments, First Nations, private companies and other non-profit organizations. Recycle BC is among more than 20 EPR programs introduced in BC over the past two decades. Through these programs the manufacturers and retailers of items such as beverage containers, electronics, paint, used oil, tires and batteries are responsible for end-of-life management. EPR is a way for businesses to manage the environmental impact of products during each stage of the products lifecycle, from selecting the materials used in production through to collection and recycling of the product when it is no longer useful.
- Who gets the money for recycling at the landfills?
- At the landfills there is no revenue received for tires that are collected, however, Tire Stewardship will pick up and haul away the tires for free to where they are recycled. Wood waste is chipped and used operationally for cover material and to help construct roads. Metal waste is collected and the revenue gained goes to the contractor as part of their operating contract. Cardboard and household recycling is collected by the Regional District’s recycling contractor processed and marketed through that contract, in which a part of the contract revenue from that material is given back to the RD.
- Why do “we” pay for recycling?
- The act of recycling costs money. There are costs to collect the material, to transfer/haul the material, and to process the material so that in can be used in new products. Even with the cost, recycling is better for the environment because it maximizes the use of resources that have already been extracted from the Earth. Additionally is helps to save space in the landfill!
- If recycling has value, why doesn’t the value cover the cost of service?
- The revenue paid for recycling fluctuates constantly depending on markets. This is because recycling is a commodity like many other things.
- How is household recycling, collected at the transfer stations and sites?
- It varies depending where you recycle. Rural Transfer Stations: Household recycling collected through the Recycle BC program is hauled two different ways. 1. The big bins (50 and 40 yard bins) are hauled by the transfer station contractor. 2. The mega bags are hauled by a third party contractor that Recycle BC manages. Recycling Depots: Recycling is collected in various totes. The recycling contractor collects that materials from the bins and empties them into a truck with three compartments. The front compartment is where the glass is deposited. The second compartment is where the hard plastic and tin are deposited. Separately, the loosely collected plastic film is placed in large bags. These large bags make it easy to separate from the hard plastic once the material is deposited on the floor at the recycle centre. The last compartment is where the paper goes. Cardboard is collected via a third party contractor from the cardboard bins.
- What are the different streams of recycling?
- Depending where you recycle there are different items and materials that can be recycled. This is because there are two different recycling programs operated in the RD. At the Rural Transfer Stations, household printed paper and packaging material are collected, processed, and marketed by Recycle BC for recycling. If you recycle in town (curbside or depot) or use one of the unattended recycling depots (Mile 54, No Frills, etc.) then that material is collected, processed, and marketed by the Regional District Recycling Contractor. The following images provides an example:
What Happens to My Recycling?
- Mixed Paper
- Mixed paper is baled and shipped to sorting facilities in Edmonton or Vancouver. Once sorted, it is sent to various processors including a processor in Greater Vancouver for new egg carton manufacturing, and a processor in Alberta that makes insulation.
- Cardboard
- Cardboard is shipped to mills in the Pacific Northwest, mainly in Washington State. This material is pulped and reprocessed into new cardboard.
- Containers
- Containers are shipped to a processor in Greater Vancouver, Merlin Plastics. This processor also handles materials from the RecycleBC EPR program. High value plastics such as #1 PET and #2 HDPE are washed and ground/pelletized before being sold as material to make new products. Mixed hard plastics are also sorted, cleaned and processed into grind/pellets. Tetra-Paks and wax cartons are processed by Merlin and shipped to recyclers in North America and overseas to be pulped. “Soft plastics” including plastic bags and overwrap (#2 and #4 films) are pelletized and used in the manufacturing of plastic lumber.
- Styrofoam
- Styrofoam is densified locally with a thermal hot melt densifier. The thermal densifier heats up and removes the air from the styrofoam. This results in a 90:1 compression – 90 truckloads of foam are reduced to 1 truckload! The densified blocks are then shipped to a processor in Greater Vancouver where they are pelletized and used to make picture frames and crown moulding.
- Metals
- Metals are shipped to ABC Recycling in Fort St John. From there, they are sent to various processors in North America to be made into new metal products, including packaging and sheet metal.
- Glass
- Glass is shipped to a processing facility in Quesnel where it is ground up and turned into sandblasting material. The sandblasting material is used locally by businesses in the Peace Region as well as across BC and Alberta.
- Commingled Curbside
- Commingled curbside material is shipped to facilities in Edmonton and Vancouver to be sorted into the above categories. Once sorted, the material is shipped to various processors for recycling (see specific categories above for more info).
Don’t see your question? Call Environmental Service at 1-800-670-7773
