Reports to Council

Glen Farrow, the City’s Civic Operations Business Manager, provided Council with updated solid waste disposal and diversion statistics. The Community Climate Action Plan targets a 50% reduction in per capita waste disposal (below 2017 levels) by 2028 and a 90% reduction by 2050. In 2017, per capita waste disposal was 720 kg. By 2025, this figure had declined to 650 kg, representing an 11% reduction.

The City supports diversion through collection (including residential curbside recycling and organics, multi-family recycling, and commercial cardboard), landfill and yard waste site drop-off programs, and special events. Waste reduction and diversion are also promoted through resident education, communications, and direct engagement.

Between 2021 and 2025, overall landfill disposal decreased steadily, indicating a downward trend in waste sent to the landfill. The most significant drop from 2022 to 2023 was due to the establishment of the Stswékstem Engineered Waste Management Facility in August 2023, which introduced greater competition for local landfill services. Clean fill tonnages declined significantly after 2021 and remained relatively stable at lower levels through 2025, due to increased tipping fees for clean fill. Yard waste fluctuated year-to-year, with volumes peaking in 2023 before declining in 2024 and 2025. Landfill diversion remained comparatively stable, with a modest decline over the period. Collection diversion increased overall, with higher diversion levels in 2024 and 2025 compared to earlier years, following the implementation of residential curbside organics collection in late August 2023.

Since the opening of the Stswékstem Engineered Waste Management Facility in 2023, both the Mission Flats Landfill and the Kamloops Resource Recovery Centre have seen significant reductions in the amount of waste sent to landfill each year. A recent study conducted by the City’s landfill consultant provided revised projections for the sites’ lifespans, with Kamloops Resource Recovery Centre’s total remaining capacity increasing from 43 to 75 years and Mission Flats Landfill extending from 38 to 62 years.

• View the full report.
• View the presentation within the Council meeting slide deck.
• Contact for further information:
  Danielle Sparks | [email protected]
  Marcia Dick | [email protected]

View the full Council Highlights for this meeting