The way solid waste in the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is collected is now coming under a comprehensive review.
"The goal of the plan update is essentially to provide the Regional District with a single guiding document that will allow us to move ahead with providing solid waste services and pursuing our zero-waste goal," said Dion Whyte, manager of sustainable services.
During the next year, a working group made up of stakeholders from local government, waste haulers, recycling facility operators and volunteers from environmental and business groups will hold public meetings to gather ideas on the future of waste collection.
Whyte said public consultation will be a big part of the plan update.
"We'll be trying to engage the public periodically throughout this process to, obviously, expand our consultation beyond just the working group," he said. "Hopefully people will come out and share their thoughts."
The group will then produce a report, scheduled for July 2010, that the SCRD can use when making decisions on solid waste.
The Ministry of Environment mandates that regional districts have updated waste plans done every five years. The SCRD's last update was in 2005.
Whyte said the plan update will cost just under $95,000 to complete, but that is considerably less than what other regional districts have paid for similar reviews. He added it is a small price to have a workable 10-year plan that will allow the SCRD to continue moving to its zero-waste goal and stay on budget in the process.
"Investing a little bit up front to make sure you've got a sound plan in place is money well spent," he said.
