The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) is proposing an amendment to its Regional Solid Waste Management Plan (RSWMP) to allow for the consideration of future locations for waste management facilities.
This amendment is separate from specific facility decisions. No decisions have been made regarding landfill expansion, new locations or conversion to transfer stations. A separate public engagement process will occur for any work related to siting a potential new landfill or transfer station in the Chetwynd area.
Background
The PRRD’s RSWMP, initially developed in 1996 and last updated in 2021 (for 2022-2032), guides solid waste management in the region. Strategy 12 of the RSWMP involves monitoring the PRRD’s three active landfills to plan for long-term disposal.
The RSWMP identifies that the Chetwynd Landfill is almost full and options including expansion, relocation or closure (with use of a transfer station to then haul waste to Bessborough or North Peace Regional Landfill) needs to be fully assessed. Based on airspace assessments completed in 2024, it is estimated that the Chetwynd Landfill will be full by 2030. Currently, the PRRD is evaluating the feasibility of expanding the existing location or relocating a new landfill within a 20 km radius of the existing landfill.
While a five-year effectiveness review of the RSWMP is scheduled for 2027, an amendment is required to implement Strategy 12, specifically sub-strategy 12C, which considers landfill closure and replacement with a transfer station, landfill expansion or landfill relocation.
The current RSWMP lacks a ’future facilities’ section necessary for the contemplation of potential new sites. As such, the following is the proposed addition to the RSWMP.
Proposed Amendment
The following ‘Future Facilities’ section is proposed for addition to the RSWMP:
3.4 Future Facilities
Municipal solid waste may be directed to any new landfill or transfer station contemplated by this plan. The specific sites being contemplated by the PRRD are shown in Schedule G.
Should one of the contemplated sites be deemed feasible the following process will be used for development of the chosen site.
- Follow the PRRDs procurement process for the engineering and construction of a new facility;
- Ensure that required Federal, Provincial and Local Government requirements are met and obtain all necessary authorizations including and not limited to an Operational Certificate under the Environmental Management Act (EMA) from the Ministry of Environment and Parks (MEP);
- Public consultation and First Nation engagement will occur on the expansion and each potential relocation site; and
- Any additional requirements that may be included as conditions in the Minister’s approval of the amendment to this plan.
This amendment will add flexibility to the current plan by allowing the evaluation of potential new sites.
Public Feedback
The public is invited to provide feedback on this proposed amendment by email to environmental.services@prrd.bc.ca until June 23, 2025.
In alignment with the process set by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, a Consultation Summary Report will be presented to the Public and Technical Stakeholder Committee (PTSC). The PTSC’s recommendations will go to the Solid Waste Committee and then the Regional Board for a decision before submission to the Ministry for approval.
Project Documents
- Archived 2022 Regional Solid Waste Management Plan project page
- Current Regional Solid Waste Management Plan
- PRRD RSWMP Schedule G
