City, Regional District participate in Circular Cities and Regions Initiative

Nation-wide one year pilot project will advance a local circular economy

JOINT NEWS RELEASE - Distributed June 15, 2021 3:00 PM

The City of Nanaimo and the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) have been selected to participate in the Circular Cities and Region Initiative (CCRI) Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Network; a one-year, national pilot project to advance circular economy knowledge sharing and capacity building in the local government sector. In total, fifteen local governments across Canada have been selected to participate in the P2P Network, hosted by the National Zero Waste Council, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Recycling Council of Alberta and RECYCQUÉBEC.

The CCRI project will give our local governments the opportunity to explore circular economy best practices through peer-to-peer sharing and one-on-one mentorship from the nation’s top experts. All CCRI participants will develop a local circular economy roadmap when the pilot project wraps up in January 2022.

The circular economy roadmap will reduce waste and pollution by making reduction, reuse and repair more possible. To make this happen, we are looking at the construction and demolition, durable goods, single-use items and repair and reuse areas. As well as benefiting the environment, shifting to a local circular economy will create opportunities for new jobs in the private sector. By working on this roadmap together, the City of Nanaimo and RDN can make the best use of our existing resources to create actionable change to benefit our communities.

This region has been a long-standing leader in waste reduction: our per capita landfill disposal rate is 347 kilograms per year, much lower than the provincial and national averages. Our regional waste reduction goal is to achieve a 109 kilogram per capita disposal rate over the next 10 years, diverting 90 per cent of waste from the landfill.

Participation in the CCRI aligns with several City of Nanaimo and RDN strategic and operational plans, policies, services and projects. These include the City’s efforts in Reimagine Nanaimo, the Doughnut Economics Framework and the Checkout Bag Regulation Bylaw. For the RDN, key programs are the Mandatory Waste Source Separation, Waste Hauler Licensing and Zero Waste Recycling under the recently adopted Solid Waste Management Plan.

To learn more about the City of Nanaimo and the RDN’s waste-related initiatives, visit nanaimo.ca/green-initiatives/zero-waste and rdn.bc.ca/solid-waste-management-plan. To learn more about the CCRI and the P2P Network, visit canadiancircularcities.ca.

Quotes

“Doughnuts and circles! It’s a perfect match. As a City now following the Doughnut Economics Model, joining in on a circular cities program is a natural step towards sustainability, where we reuse, remake, and regenerate!” -Leonard Krog, Mayor, City of Nanaimo

“Participation in the CCRI aligns with the RDN’s strategic priorities and desire to move towards a more circular economy. And by partnering with the City of Nanaimo on this initiative, we can continue to align and foster synergies between our respective solid waste services in the region to the benefit of residents, the environment and the economy.” -Tyler Brown, Chair, Regional District of Nanaimo

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