A two-year pilot furniture recycling program at Sechelt landfill and Pender Harbour waste transfer station, is up for debate during Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) 2026 budget discussions.
Diverting bulky furniture items from the garbage stream could save an estimated “875 cubic meters of airspace saved per year, equivalent to 14.8 days of landfill life,” according to a regional district staff report considered at the Nov. 20 budget committee meeting.
To ensure the fees are ready to go if the pilot is approved, elected officials supported staff’s proposal for materials and recycling fees at the committee meeting. The SCRD already charges fees to accept mattresses at its sold waste sites. The proposed pilot, which needs to pass several decision points before implementation, would involve expanding the agreement the local government has with a contractor that transports mattresses off-Coast for recycling.