Waste Diversion and Zero Waste

The District of Squamish is working to reduce per capita landfill waste to 300 kg, from a current per capita volume of 480kg.

Squamish has many waste diversion options for residents, including:

  • Multiple drop-off locations for recycling and organics
  • Residential recycling and organics collection for all single-family and townhouses
  • Drop off for reusable construction materials at Squamish ReBuild
  • Several extremely active non-governmental volunteer-based groups and more.

Start your waste diversion journey by properly sorting your household waste. Find out what goes where. 

Reducing Waste

The best way to divert waste from the landfill is to reduce your overall consumption. Whether it be consumer goods or unnecessary food products, consider your impact before making the purchase.

Tips for reducing your impact

Practice the habit of bringing your own bag, cup, straw or other commonly used item to reduce waste in our community. 

Did you know? In the average Canadian household, one in four produce items gets thrown in the garbage. 

Food is wasted when we:

  • Buy more than we need
  • Store it incorrectly
  • Throw away leftovers
  • Cook too much

Visit the LoveFoodHateWaste website for "simple and practical food-saving strategies" from planning and storage to recipes.

Composting food scraps, paper towels, dryer lint, coffee filters and other organic materials is the single most effective way to reduce your garbage waste. If you are unsure as to what materials can go in your organics tote, enter the item in our Waste Wizard lookup tool to find out where to recycle or dispose of it.

Curbside recycling tote:

  • Cardboard
  • Mixed paper
  • Plastic containers
  • Metal such as tin and aluminum cans

Drop off at the GFL Recycling Depot or the Squamish Landfill:

  • Styrofoam
  • Plastic bags
  • Overwrap/film
  • Glass that cannot be returned for a refund

Consider purchasing items with zero or pure packaging. Buy bulk when possible and look for “pure” packaging products such as glass.

Previously loved goods are an excellent way to cut down on cost and packaging.

How Much Waste is Produced in Squamish?

Squamish residents have reduced their waste per capita from a high of 1,111 KG in 2008 to 480 kg in 2023. 

Council Strategic Plan Goal 300 KG by DOS Communications

In August 2020, the District of Squamish conducted a waste audit of what is being thrown in the garbage. The full report is available here.

Some key findings from the Waste Composition Report:

  • From Curbside Residential Collection, over 30% of the garbage is compostable.

  • More than 10% of the garbage is avoidable Food Waste. 

  • Compostable Paper and Avoidable Food Waste are the two largest categories of material in Commercial Waste. They represent over 30% of the material in the garbage. 

  • 21% of the material in Multi-Family Garbage could be recycled at a Drop Off Depot, and 31% could be composted. 

  • Over 40% of the waste from the Construction and Demolition sector is wood. 

Resources

What Goes Where Guide - This guide provides useful information to divert residential materials from the landfill through recycling and composting.

Let’s Talk Trash - This is a guide for multi-family homes, commercial businesses and institutions.

Familiarize yourself with the waste stream so you can keep as much trash out of our landfill as possible.

Waste Audit Tool - Use this tool to conduct a waste audit for your residential or business property.

Bylaws for regulating garbage collection and waste management in Squamish:

Recycling Council of BC (RCBC) is BC’s trusted source of information on local residential recycling services, province-wide Extended Producer Responsibility and stewardship programs, share, reuse and repair options, as well as best practices from around the world.

Install the the RCBC Recyclopedia App to help you find over 1,000 drop-off locations and recycling options for over 70 materials or products across BC.

The Return-It Recycling Programs for three categories:

  • Beverage Containers that can be returned for a refund
  • End-of-Life Electronics
  • Large Appliances

The District of Squamish has developed a Community Climate Action Plan that includes waste management.

In 2022, the District launched a Zero Waste Action Plan to eliminate waste from the landfill.