foreign garbage in victoria?

What is foreign cruise ship garbage?

Fair Sailing defines ‘foreign garbage’ as solid and liquid wastes removed from cruise ships. Solid waste includes garbage, organics and recyclable goods. Liquid waste includes blackwater (sewage), grey water (from sinks, showers, laundry), oily bilge water, and hazardous liquids.

what kind of SOLID WASTE MATERIALS come off the cruise ships?

In a May 2021 ‘Waterside Chat on Waste Management,’ a representative from Tymac, which provides waste removal for cruise ships at Ogden Point, was asked to describe waste items removed from cruise ships in Victoria: “we’ve seen everything.”

Who handles foreign garbage at the Victoria cruise terminal?

In 2018, Tymac Launch Services contracted with the cruise lines to provide waste management services for solid and liquid waste materials from cruise ships at Ogden Point. The amount of international solid waste from cruise ships delivered to Hartland landfill increased from 304 tonnes in 2018 to 2,082 tonnes in 2019.

How much foreign wastes are offloaded in Victoria?

Tymac reported that they delivered 2,082 tonnes of high and low risk international solid waste to the regional Hartland Landfill in 2019. In the same year, they offloaded 5,204 tonnes of recyclable materials off the cruise ships. It appears that most of these materials were transported and recycled off-island. Tymac has not provided solid waste data beyond 2019.

The amount of liquid and hazardous materials offloaded from cruise ships at Ogden Point and their end destinations are undisclosed. 

What happens after foreign garbage is offloaded at Ogden Point?

Large industrial trucks transporting an estimated 10,000 tonnes of solid and liquid waste materials drive through residential James Bay streets during the busy cruise season to various unknown locations on Vancouver Island and the mainland. The trucks cause wear and tear on the roads, lead to traffic congestion, generate noise, pose safety risks to pedestrians and cyclists, carry the potential for major spills of hazardous materials, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. 

What about our waste reduction goals?

Accepting waste materials originating in another country is contrary to local and regional waste reduction goals. In July 2023, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy approved the new Capital Regional District (CRD) Solid Waste Management Plan. The plan has a goal of reducing waste to the regional landfill by more than one third by 2031. Accepting foreign garbage appears to run counter to this goal.

How much do ships pay for their garbage?

Until 2023, the charge for accepting cruise ship solid wastes at the regional Hartland landfill were $157/tonne. In July 2022, as a result of an initiative by Fair Sailing, the CRD increased the tipping fee for high risk international waste from cruise ships to $500/tonne, starting January 2024. Recyclables, liquid and hazardous wastes are managed by private companies at cost.

Based on current US $ currency exchange rates, cruise ships pay 30% less for garbage in Canada than they would in the United States.

Why is Victoria taking garbage from ships that visit Alaska?

Over the past few years, the community has been told that the reasons the cruise lines want to unload their waste in Victoria are that the Port of Seattle does not have the capacity due to space constraints and that unloading waste in Victoria provides a faster turn-over for the ships in Seattle. Victoria takes foreign garbage to make things easier for the cruise lines. Most cruise ship calls to Victoria are on the last day of the Alaska cruise itinerary on their return to Seattle. They arrive in the evening and unload their waste before they leave around midnight, creating more activity and noise during their operations.

Where does cruise waste unloaded in victoria go?

Cruise waste materials are offloaded onto our island. The regional landfill accepts international solid waste. Most recyclables are transported off-island to the Lower Mainland for further handling. Liquid wastes appear to be taken up island. With no disclosure on the amount and types of wastes being transported and their end destinations, local and Island residents are not informed of the wastes being driven past their homes and through their communities.

Do Alaska ports accept cruise ship garbage?

In 2022, the Borough of Juneau in Alaska entered into an agreement with the cruise lines to reduce the amount of garbage going to their landfill. In 2023, waste was reduced by 90% - from 1,650 US tons to 125 US tons. Juneau is the only Alaska port that accepts waste. It appears that most of these wastes may now be offloaded in Victoria or Vancouver, depending on the itinerary.

Do cruise ships have other options to offload their garbage?

Yes. In 2021, the cruise industry resumed the Seattle-Alaska run after Covid without stopping in Victoria, as Canada did not allow the resumption of cruise traffic until 2022. Presumably, arrangements to remove waste materials in Seattle were made. The industry has other ways of dealing with waste.

Is there a solution?

Yes. Fair Sailing advocates for all cruise wastes to be returned to their port-of-origin. Since 80% of ship calls start/end in Seattle, Victoria could significantly and immediately reduce cruise wastes being offloaded in our community if cruise ships hold their waste onboard for another six hours. This would also help Victoria and the province meet waste and GHG reduction targets.