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More good news for the Fraser Valley Regional District. The BC Environment Minister has approved the district’s new Solid Waste Management Plan.  It’s a plan for managing the region’s garbage over the next ten years, and includes some progressive diversion initiatives.

“We applaud Minister Polak’s decision which will allow for the establishment of policy and regulation that will encourage private sector investment, innovation and competition, while meeting the plan’s target of 90 percent diversion in the next 10 years,” said FVRD Chair Sharon Gaetz.

The key to the plan is something called an MRF, a Materials Recovery Facility, where they’ll use mechanical and manual sorting to remove recyclable materials from the regular garbage.  The district says it will create more jobs and it will be better for the environment than garbage incineration.  This news comes on the heels of an announcement from Metro Vancouver last week that they’re abandoning their plans for a new waste to energy facility.