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Guidelines for the Preparation of Solid Waste Management Plans
Solid Waste Management Plans
Solid Waste Management Plans are a requirement of the Environment Act and Solid Waste Regulations. All operators of Waste Disposal Facilities which handle solid waste generated by the public - including municipalities and the Department of Community Services - must submit a Solid Waste Management Plan to the Yukon government before August 31, 2002. However, operators of Commercial Dumps that handle garbage generated by commercial activities, such as highway lodges, are not required to submit management plans.
Solid Waste Management Plans encourage owners and operators of waste disposal facilities to consider their options carefully while preparing detailed plans for the future of the site. Good planning at the local level will contribute to better planning and management at the territorial government level, and that will benefit all Yukoners.
Once a plan is approved by the Yukon government, it can be put into effect and solid waste can then be disposed of in accordance with its provisions. However, Solid Waste Management Plans do not replace Solid Waste Permits, which are still required.
Mandatory Content
Solid Waste Management Plans must cover a ten-year period, and must comply with section 96 of the Environment Act and section 12 of the Solid Waste Regulations. Included at the end of this Fact Sheet are excerpts from the Act and Regulations, which list the specific legislative requirements that must be included in each plan.
Factors to Consider
In addition to the legislated requirements, the following are suggestions of factors to consider when drawing up your plan:
Environmental Factors
- land - consider ground pollution: ensure the volume of solid waste stream is minimized through reuse, recycling, and recovery; residue should always be minimal;
- water - consider surface and ground water sampling and monitoring requirements;
- air - no-burn operations help minimize air pollution; consider increasing composting activities to minimize methane accumulations that result from decomposition; and
- wildlife - ensure minimal conflicts; prevent access by domestic and wild animals to avoid strewn litter, cumulative poisoning and danger to the public.
Social Factors
- aesthetics - ensure windblown litter is controlled and minimized;
- adjacent land use - consider noxious odours and an adequate buffer zone;
- conflicting land uses - consider potential conflicts with nearby private and government land owners;
- public consultation - identify method and results (if applicable) of public consultation on issues that affect the community.
Legal Factors
- compliance - ensure all plans comply with current legislation and the necessary permits are in place as required by the Public Health Act, Environment Act, Solid Waste Regulations, Special Waste Regulations and Air Emissions Regulations.
Additional Suggestions
The following suggestions will help you prepare a good Solid Waste Management Plan:
- Include a legal description of the site, including a map referencing current and future areas (this information is required by the application for a Solid Waste Permit);
- Use maps for all plan requirements that relate to geography;
- When determining the capacity of the existing facility, consider the population served, including industries; the types and approximate annual volume of waste; and the approximate volume of storage available;
- When determining sites for new facilities, consider the soil conditions and topography; environmental impacts (surface and ground water, plant and wildlife); social impacts; economic impacts; and potential conflicts with other land owners and land uses.
- To help describe the physical and natural environment of potential new sites, and to develop strategies and actions to help protect that environment, consider employing a qualified professional who can identify potential ecological impacts.
- When developing waste segregation strategies, include descriptions of the types and quantities of solid waste accepted and banned; an estimate of the percentage of the solid waste stream managed through reuse, reduction, recycling and recovery, and the amount of residual waste; land, equipment and labour involved; operational problems; and environmental, social, and economic impacts.
Excerpts from the Environment Act
and Solid Waste Regulations
The general requirements for preparing Solid Waste Management Plans are laid out in Section 96 of the Yukon Environment Act, while Section 12 of the Solid Waste Regulations provides the detailed rules.
Environment Act (Section 96)
96.(1) Where a municipality is responsible for the collection, removal or disposal of solid waste pursuant to the Municipal Act, the municipality shall, within two years of the enactment of regulations respecting standards for the collection, removal and disposal of solid waste, submit a solid waste management plan proposal for the approval of the Commissioner in Executive Council that shall be for the benefit of the total area of the municipality.
(2) Where the Minister of Community and Transportation Services is responsible for the collection, removal or disposal of solid waste in any area outside of a municipality pursuant to the Public Health Act, the Minister of Community and Transportation Services shall, within the time specified in subsection (1), submit a solid waste management plan proposal for the approval of the Commissioner in Executive Council that shall be for the benefit of a specified waste management area.
(3) The Commissioner in Executive Council may extend the time for submission of a solid waste management plan in subsections (1) and (2) on application of any municipality or the Minister of Community and Transportation Services.
(4) A solid waste management plan shall be in the form determined by the Minister and shall
(a) describe the design, construction, operation, upgrading, closure and post closure plan of any waste disposal facility in the area to which the plan applies;
(b) identify locations within the area to which the plan applies for the siting of a solid waste disposal facility; and
(c) provide for any other matter prescribed by regulation.
(5) Subject to the regulations and subsection (11), the Commissioner in Executive Council may approve, impose terms and conditions on, amend, suspend or revoke a solid waste management plan.
(6) Subject to subsection (7), a solid waste management plan approved by the Commissioner in Executive Council under subsection (5) authorizes a person to dispose of solid waste in accordance with the provisions of the plan and the terms and conditions imposed specified by the Commissioner in Executive Council.
(7) A waste disposal facility described in a solid waste management plan requires a permit.
(8) Nothing in a solid waste management plan shall prevent the exercise of rights conferred by permit subsisting on the date the solid waste management plan is approved, unless the permit is suspended or cancelled by the Minister under section 91.
(9) Subject to subsection (10), a municipality or the Minister of Community and Transportation Services may impose a further restriction or require a further condition than this Act or the regulations, or an order, permit or a solid waste management plan approved under this Part require, and such a restriction or condition is not solely for that reason inconsistent with this Act or a regulation, order or permit or a solid waste management plan approved under subsection (5).
(10) The Minister may disallow a restriction or condition imposed under subsection (9).
(11) Where the Commissioner in Executive Council proposes to take action under subsection (5), the proposal shall be referred to the Minister for public review pursuant to sections 30 to 32 as if it were a proposal under subsection 30(1).
Solid Waste Regulations (Section 12)
12.(1) In addition to the requirements stated in subsection 96(4) of the Act, solid waste management plans submitted in accordance with subsections 96(1) and 96(2) of the Act shall provide
(a) details regarding the capacity of existing waste disposal facilities within the municipality or specified waste management area;
(b) a description of the solid waste handling and disposal requirements for the municipality or specified waste management area for the planning period;
(c) a description of the locations within the municipality or specified waste management area where new waste disposal facilities may be located during the planning period and the rationale for selecting these locations;
(d) a description of the physical and natural environment of the locations referred to in paragraph (c), including surface and groundwater conditions, soil structure and stability, identification of special or unique fish, wildlife or vegetation populations in the area and any other environmentally sensitive attributes or characteristics of the area;
(e) a description of the strategies and initiatives that will be used to protect the physical and natural environment referred to in paragraph (d), including strategies to prevent wildlife from accessing solid waste;
(f) a description of the strategies and initiatives that will be used to address waste segregation and the reuse, reduction and recycling of waste, including composting, within the municipality or specified waste management area; and
(g) any other requirements as may be determined by the Minister.
(2) If a municipality or the Minister of Community and Transportation Services intends to amend, add to or in any other manner change a solid waste management plan approved under section 96 of the Act, they shall apply to the Commissioner in Executive Council for an amendment of the plan and the Commissioner in Executive Council may approve or disapprove of the proposed amendment, addition or other change to the plan.
(3) The Commissioner in Executive Council may suspend or cancel an approved solid waste management plan or reinstate a plan by following the procedures described in section 91 of the Act for cancelling or suspending a permit.
(4) For the purposes of preparing a solid waste management plan, the planning period shall be ten years from the date the plan is to take effect.
(5) A municipality or the Minister of Community and Transportation Services shall submit for approval a revised and updated solid waste management plan to the Commissioner in Executive Council at least one year before an approved plan expires.