Politics, Waste

Area C Director’s Report: solid waste consultation & news

From the desk of Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney

Hello,
Summer is here, and with it the bustle of busy days, the beauty of lake days, and of course, occasional ferry lineups. This report has an update on solid waste and upcoming community consultation on solid waste diversion strategies. 

Solid waste management 

Solid Waste is the things we throw ‘away’ – garbage, recycling, and compost. Here on Quadra Island and in Area C we are part of the Comox Strathcona Waste Management Service (CSWM) – a service which manages garbage once it lands at a transfer station, recycling once it arrives at a depot, and organics from single family residences in the major centres within the service area (Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland & Campbell River). The CSWM service area is broad: it includes the Comox Valley and Strathcona Regional Districts, from Fanny Bay up to Zeballos and over to Refuge Cove

Waste management planning 

The provincial government mandates that the CSWM operates with a ten-year Solid Waste Management Plan which must be reviewed & renewed every decade. Renewing the solid waste plan is currently underway in order to tackle evolving community needs and regulations.

Community engagement is integral to developing the plan. So, CSWM staff have had meaningful engagement across the service area and have distilled the input of communities, the Regional Solid Waste Advisory Committee, and the twenty-three Directors on the CSWM Board into a potential set of waste diversion strategies to tackle over the lifespan of a new solid waste management plan.

Your opinions wanted

Community consultation on the diversion strategies is beginning soon, and CSWM staff are coming to Quadra to share info and hear from you! They will be at the Quadra Island Fall Fair’s “Youngster’s Harvest Happenings” festival on Sunday September 7 at the Community Centre.

The good folks of CSWM want to discuss the most relevant issues and share what the CSWM service provides in our community. They will have a paper survey available with them September 7th; there will also be an online input opportunity if you don’t make it to the Fall Fair or want to provide deeper input.

Shaping the Solid Waste Management Plan only happens once a decade, so I hope many folks will take the opportunity to share their thoughts on preferred waste diversion strategies, pressing issues, and potential solutions. If you’re eager to learn more or ask CSWM staff a question, there’s a webpage to explore: engagecomoxvalley.ca/swmp. The plan renewal began in 2022 and is aiming for completion in 2026

SRD investigation of a solid waste solution for Quadra Island

In June the SRD Board received a report titled “Quadra Island Solid Waste Collection Study” which includes exploration of a waste collection partnership model with the We Wai Kai First Nation. A consultant reviewed the operational requirements and potential costs of a coordinated service model on Quadra Island.

Insight into the scale and considerations of such a service were uncovered but determining per-household costs wasn’t possible due to several key assumptions. The study also supported ongoing evaluation by We Wai Kai First Nation of the potential to establish a waste collection enterprise as part of broader economic development goals; in recognition of the Nation’s ongoing business planning the full consultant’s report was not published. The We Wai Kai Nation continues to assess various waste disposal options and final feedback may take time.

The staff report further identified that the Solid Waste Management Plan planning process underway by Comox Strathcona Waste Management (as detailed above) could significantly influence the future of waste collection services in Electoral Area C, including the SRD’s formal request to CSWM to establish a waste transfer station on Quadra. Also stated in the report was that the Solid Waste Management Plan may result in regional solutions, including the provision of collection services directly through CSWM.

Considering these ongoing endeavours, the Board paused further SRD investigations into solid waste collection on Quadra Island to allow additional time to see if viable options arise to support solid waste collection, directing staff to provide an update in eight months’ time.

Connect

Thank you for reading! You’re welcome to connect with me with questions or concerns: you can email [email protected], or call 250.203.2468. You can find previous reports at robynmawhinney.ca. Strathcona Regional District agendas and minutes can be viewed and searched at srd.ca/government/agendas-minutes.

Until next time,
Respectfully,
Robyn Mawhinney

Links of Interest:

Most of the photos in this report are from a recent evening exploration of Read Island Provincial Park: shoreline cedar, arbutus, & pine mat manzanita; plus a textured sea & sky in Heriot Bay at dusk. 
Copyright © 2025 Robyn Mawhinney, Regional Director for Area C, All rights reserved.