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The Tyee – The Best Way to 'Zero Waste'

It is far too easy to become critical, cynical or even amused by the words and actions of Metro Vancouver officials as they grapple with the need to reform solid waste management practices in the Lower Mainland. The fact remains that theirs is a daunting and important challenge. However, clarity around what the real issues are, let alone the solutions, continues to elude the decision-makers.

One of the key points that most Metro politicians and bureaucrats appear to agree on is that, aside from striving for less garbage in the first place, recycling is preferable to incineration or landfills. The goal is zero waste. Fair enough. But do they fully understand what this means? Recycling involves both challenges and opportunities that have never been completely reconciled in North America and particularly Canada. A little history might assist.

What's wrong with today's recycling

The recycling movement, as a mainstream cri de coeur , began to gain steam about 30 years ago. It involved a veritable mish-mash of public, commercial and non-profit efforts which were highly uncoordinated. One result was that solid waste that was not permanently disposed of became a saleable commodity rather than a public good. Therefore the cost of the raw material for the nascent remanufacturing industry became a serious disincentive to the development of technologies that would lead to reliable, durable new products that did not utilize virgin resources. Products that are produced from recycled materials often end up costing more than those made from primary materials where the processes involved are less challenging at least from the standpoint of traditional accounting. Plenty of small scale niche operations exist but their impact on reducing un-utilized waste is close to negligible.