Current Status
The Province committed to developing a Circular Economy Strategy in the Clean BC Roadmap. Work started with meetings held with the construction , mining, forestry and agricultural sectors as well as a deeper dive on skills, training and inclusive employment. A Provincial Vision and Guiding Principles were developed which can be seen here (BC Circular Economy Primer). The next step is for the Province to formally adopt a strategy. We intend to keep pushing for this.
See our submission to the Clean BC Review here.
Preparing for BC’s Circular Economy Strategy
In the fall of 2022 with a grant from the Real Estate Foundation of BC and in collaboration with the Climate Caucus, Recycling Council of BC and VGN Resources, ZWBC held a series of workshops with local government elected leaders and staff, First Nation community leaders and staff and environmental non-governmental organizations to discuss ideas for the upcoming development of BC’s Circular Economy Strategy. Many good suggestions came forward and can be seen in the What We Heard report. Other resources include the backgrounder and presentation (though note these were tailored to the different audiences). In 2023 we met with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to present our findings from this work. See the Policy Brief here.
A Zero Waste Agenda for BC
This report published October 2021 outlines what is needed to get to Zero Waste in BC along with the climate and job benefits of pursuing this approach. It is a collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives as an update to the 2013 Closing the Loop report. A summary is also available here.
UBCM Resolutions Related to Zero Waste and Circular Economy
Resolutions at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention held each year in September can be a way for local governments to advocate for change. Key themes have been asking the province to develop a zero waste (2017) or circular economy (2021) strategy and improving Extended Producer Responsibility programs. We have kept a record of these in a spreadsheet for those who wish to review them. More details can be seen through the UBCM website