Solid Waste Management Plan: Landfill Upgrading Program

Central Landfills
Three central landfills will be developed and operated to BC Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (MWLAP) standards for the purpose of accepting waste from municipal and regional district sources. These landfills are located at:

• Quesnel, by utilizing and expanding the existing site;
• Williams Lake, by utilizing the existing site to its capacity and then developing a new site at Gibraltar Mines as identified in the Plan; the new landfill at Gibraltar is opened October 1, 2003 with the Central Cariboo transfer station located in Williams Lake.
• 100 Mile House, by utilizing and expanding the existing site.

The Cities of Quesnel operates and controls its landfill, holds future operational certificates issued by MWLAP, and meets conditions outlined in the Plan. Since the opening of the landfill at Gibraltar Mines October 1, 2003, the Cariboo Regional District assumee control of the operations in the Central Cariboo, including Williams Lake. MWLAP has already issued an operational certificate to the Cariboo Regional District for this new landfill.

Rural Landfills
The Cariboo Regional District will improve, operate and administer 15 rural landfills to new environmental standards. Conditions of operation will vary from site to site, but when all sites are improved, they will operate under the following general conditions:

• no burning of general refuse;
• compaction and cover of refuse;
• segregation and recycling of large metals such as vehicles and appliances;
• regular scatter collection;
• posting of appropriate site use signs;
• fencing to prevent access by livestock and wildlife;
• legal boundary survey;
• site closure plan;
• appropriate zoning around sites to restrict development;
• and,  environmental monitoring. 

Transfer Stations and Marshalling Yards

Transfer Stations
The Cariboo Regional District has developed 14 refuse transfer stations based on the priority of existing rural refuse site life expectancies and local environmental concerns.  

Marshalling Yards
Nine controlled marshalling yards will be developed over time by the CRD for the purpose of receiving large metals (vehicles and appliances) and wood waste, at select sites, in conjunction with refuse transfer stations.

Wood Waste Disposal
Wood waste disposal options at rural sites are currently limited to land filling and air curtain incineration. Based on the volume of wood waste received at a site and its proximity to residences, one of these methods will be applied at each site.

Compaction and Cover
The frequency of compaction and cover depends on the amount of waste received at a site. This frequency is either once, twice, or three times per week. By ceasing the practice of open burning, more land area will be required to ensure that the sites can be operated for a minimum of 30 years. Most of the existing landfills can be expanded at their present locations, but the Alexandria and Wells refuse sites will have to be closed and relocated due to physical site constraints. A siting process to address public and government agency concerns will be used. The individual operating conditions to be applied at each site are illustrated as follows: