By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle

Solid waste management in the South Okanagan could be seeing significant upgrades along with management changes in the near-future.

Both the Towns of Osoyoos and Oliver recently discussed solid waste management, with Osoyoos Council doing so at their March 10 Regular Council Meeting, and Oliver Council receiving a presentation on the topic at their March 16 Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting.

The discussions involved representatives from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), as they look to implement a new 10-year solid waste management plan (SWMP). This is a provincial requirement of regional districts such as the RDOS, and their most recent SWMP was implemented in 2011.

The RDOS is visiting every municipality in the region to present their plan, and bring together the municipalities in a collaborative effort.

For Osoyoos, the discussions involved an idea that was first discussed at a CoW meeting in November 2023. That was when RDOS representatives approached Council with a presentation, which included a possible future option for the RDOS to manage the Osoyoos Landfill. A feasibility study is planned to look into such an option.

Other aspects of solid waste management discussed at the time included curbside waste pickup, composting, and challenges the Osoyoos Landfill currently faces.

The Oliver Landfill is also in the sights of the RDOS operation-wise, as they seek to get support for a loan submission to the provincial Ministry of Environment and Parks for new equipment purchasing. RDOS Solid Waste Operations Manager Kyle Gabelhei delivered the presentation to Oliver Council beginning with the transition from Phase 2 to 3.

With 40 years’ worth of airspace left, the Oliver Landfill is preparing for a Phase 3 expansion at the site, while also preparing for a closure of Phase 2. A leachate pond is also slated to be developed as part of the upgrades, currently scheduled to take place in 2030.

The RDOS, in their report to Oliver Council, forecasts spending $700,000 over the 10-year course of the SWMP, or $70,000 annually. The municipalities would need to devote staff time to things such as educational programs, and potentially adjust how many staff hours they make available, as the plan would require almost a whole full-time equivalent (FTE) of staffing to go ahead.

In their presentation to Osoyoos, the RDOS provided a list of benefits and detriments for their operation of the landfill.

One benefit is that costs being incurred by the Town per annum for taxation purposes would be uploaded to the RDOS and become their responsibility instead.

Liability would also be transferred to the RDOS, and there would be a stronger ability to share staff, infrastructure, and training and expertise between Town and Regional District. In emergency situations, resources could also be brought in from other landfills.

The two detriments noted were a limitation in the delivery of services to what is currently included in the establishment bylaw, and control of the landfill operations coming from the RDOS Board.

Councillor Johnny Cheong wanted to confirm that the RDOS would have a plan for a potential future landfill closure if they took over operations.

“As part of the feasibility study, is there going to be considerations taken for future closure of the landfill, and how the Regional District may manage that scenario?” Cheong asked.

Director of Operational Services Tyler Madsen confirmed the onus would be on the RDOS.

“Any operator who runs a landfill has to have a designed closure plan,” Madsen explained. “If they were looking to manage the landfill and operating the landfill, they would then, in the future be responsible for that plan as well.

Councillor Jim King wondered about the timeline for a return to Council for future presentation.

“The process would take longer than a month,” Madsen said. “They would probably come (back) closer to the fall, I would guess.”

At the Oliver CoW meeting, Councillor Aimee Grice wanted to know how the space available in their landfill stacked up to other South Okanagan waste facilities.

“Okanagan Falls (is) going through an expansion right now, so I think that’s going to be (around) another 20 years or so,” Gabelhei said. “Campbell Mountain in Penticton has close to 100 years.”

Gabelhei also confirmed there would be no potential imminent closure or conversion to transfer station for the Oliver Landfill, similarly to Osoyoos.

“Those conversations have not happened… We’re going through an expansion at the Oliver Landfill, and we’re doing design work right now, so there’s no plans to turn it into a transfer station.”

Councillor Petra Veintimilla sought to know more about the RDOS’s request from Council.

“One of the asks here today was a resolution from Council supporting the plan; when do you need that by?” Veintimilla asked. Gabelhei confirmed it would not be required right away.

For both landfills, the updates to the waste management process are expected to be very positive when it comes to reducing the amount of airspace taken up in them.

Councillor Terry Schafer recalled how, many years ago, the rise of recycling significantly contributed to the Oliver Landfill’s life expectancy being lengthened.

“We were told at the time that the landfill had seven years (of airspace) if we hadn’t started recycling,” Schafer said. “(It’s) amazing, going from seven years of life expectancy to forty years. But that’s the power of recycling.”

The RDOS will be hosting public engagement sessions next week in both Osoyoos and Oliver to generate feedback on the 2026 SWMP. 

The Oliver Community Hall will host its session on March 25 at 6 PK, while the Osoyoos event will be at the Sonora Community Centre on March 26 at 6 PM. More details can be found on the RDOS’s website, under the “Solid Waste Management Plan” tab within the “Solid Waste” section of the website.