Personal waste declines for fourth straight year: RDNO

Sep 4, 2026 | 9:59 AM

Plans to reduce the amount of personal waste going into area landfills saw even more gains in 2025.

The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) said the average waste produced by a person was 444 kilograms in 2025, which was the lowest amount of waste generated since tracking began in 1979 and marked the fourth straight year of waste disposal declines.

Per capita waste that ended in the RDNO landfills. (Image Credit: RDNO)

The RDNO, in using programs like recycling and composting to divert materials out of the landfills, have a goal of reducing the amount of waste generated to 350 kilograms, or lower, per person by 2028.

“Reducing waste sent has significant environmental and financial benefits starting with conserving valuable landfill space that delays the need for costly new landfill capacity,” the RDNO stated in its waste disposal report.

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“Waste prevention also provides broader environmental benefits by conserving natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacturing, transporting, buying and disposing of products.”

A study in 2022 found food was the largest category of material going into the landfills, but since then progress had been made to divert that out through composting and a commercial food waste disposal regulation.

Mixed construction and demolition waste also saw a decline of five per cent between 2024 and 2025.

The RDNO did acknowledge economic conditions may have influenced consumer behaviour that resulted in reduced consumption, greater resource conservation and less waste.

The Regional District said it would continue to run its waste diversion programs and educational and awareness campaigns with the goal of continuing the downward trend of per capita waste generation.

by Liam Verster

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