Our trip to the Vancouver landfill was truly incredible! We want to thank our tour guide who did a great job and offered a lot of transparency to the process. We learned about the challenge of managing the leachate, a liquid substance containing environmentally harmful substances that drains from land or stockpiled material. Talk about transparency!
The Facts
The landfill is authorized to receive up to 750,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste each year. It was established in 1966, is owned by the City of Vancouver and has an operation term that goes until 2037!!!
More Than Garbage
The landfill not only manages waste but also offers recycling collection for metal propane tanks and electronics, mattresses, and paper. They also provide donation bins to collect usable goods and an area for organics where they make compost! They are also running a pilot project to see about recycling construction materials!
The landfill also works with a birds of prey to help control seagulls which are a nuisance as they scatter litter in the surrounding area and yet are a protected species! The landfill uses trained birds of prey to protect the seagulls as well as spreading contamination from the landfill. We were lucky enough to meet two representatives who taught us all about it, and an actual bird of prey!! Landfills have officially evolved!
We had a fantastic time and will definitely go back!
