Public engagement on proposed updated emission limits for the Waste-to-Energy Facility is open until December 13, 2026.
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Metro Vancouver is engaging with First Nations, member jurisdictions, adjacent regional districts, the public, and other interested parties on draft proposed updated emission limits and additional monitoring opportunities for the Waste-to-Energy Facility before submitting final proposed emission limits to the Ministry of Environment and Parks for consideration.
A
new report provides the conclusions of technical studies that support the following proposed updates to the Waste-to-Energy Facility Operational Certificate:
- Updated emission limits
- Additional monitoring opportunities
- Expanded public access to data
Feedback received during the engagement process will be documented, reviewed, and considered by the project team. Input received may inform revisions to the proposed emissions limits, emissions reporting, and monitoring commitments. A summary of feedback received and a description of how key issues were considered will be provided as part of the final submission package to the Ministry of Environment and Parks.
To share your feedback before December 13, 2026:
About the Waste-to-Energy Facility and its Operational Certificate
Metro Vancouver's
Waste-to-Energy Facility has operated in Burnaby since 1988 and currently handles about 240,000 tonnes of garbage per year, roughly a quarter of the region's garbage. It is a mass-burn facility that turns waste into electricity — approximately 180,000 megawatt hours per year, enough to power 16,000 homes — and recovers about 5,000 tonnes of metal annually.
The facility is approved by the BC Ministry of Environment and Parks through an
Operational Certificate that sets operating requirements including emissions limits, monitoring, and reporting.
In September 2025, the Ministry of Environment and Parks issued an
amended Operational Certificate outlining technical studies and engagement required to facilitate the Ministry’s consideration of updated emission limits that will be proposed by Metro Vancouver.
Proposed updated emission limits
Metro Vancouver completed a series of technical studies and submitted a report to the Ministry of Environment and Parks on September 23, 2026. The
Metro Vancouver Proposed OC Discharge Limits Report is available on our website.
Work included:
- Review of current emission levels
- Review of other jurisdiction emission monitoring requirements and access to data, focusing on the European Union, the United States, and the Durham York Waste-to-Energy Facility in Ontario
- Testing of potential operational modifications to support a reduction of emissions
- Ambient air quality dispersion modelling as part of the development of a public health risk assessment in consultation with Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health
The following table shows proposed emission limits compared to current emission limits for all parameters where a reduction in the emission limit is proposed or an emission limit is proposed where there currently is no limit.
Emission Parameters
| Current Emission Limit
| Proposed Emission Limit |
|---|
Lead µg/dscm
| N/A | 48 |
| Arsenic µg/dscm | N/A | 9.2 |
| Chromium µg/dscm | N/A | 40 |
| Lead, Arsenic, Chromium µg/dscm | 64 | 60 |
| Total Mercury µg/dscm | 20 | 15 |
| Dioxins and Furans (PCDD/PCDF) TEQ ng/dscm | 0.08 | 0.06 |
| Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) mg/dscm 1-hr | 55 (interim) | 45 |
| Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) mg/dscm | 1 | 0.52 |
| Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) mg/dscm 24-hr | 200 (interim) | 120 |
| Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) mg/dscm 24-hr | 190 | 150 |
| Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) µg/dscm | 5 | 1.3 |
| Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) µg/dscm | 1 | 0.4 |
| Chlorophenols µg/dscm | 1 | 0.29
|
Proposed additional monitoring activities
Building on the facility's existing continuous emissions monitoring and stack testing program, Metro Vancouver is also proposing additional monitoring measures to collect more information about facility environmental performance and enhance environmental reporting.
Proposed additional monitoring activities could include:
- Condensable Particulate testing added to regular stack testing
- Enhanced dioxin and furan monitoring, including annual testing on all three combustion lines and extended seasonal sampling
- Startup and shutdown emissions testing conducted annually
- Continuous ammonia (NH₃) monitoring added to measure unreacted ammonia emissions and help optimize emission control performance
- Install an ambient air monitoring station immediately adjacent to the Waste-to-Energy facility in a location near to the modelled point of highest potential contaminant concentration
- Updated approach for sharing environmental monitoring data to enable the public to see emission trends over time
Learn more