After a challenging and costly year for fatbergs, Metro Vancouver wants the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to urge the federal government to support the development of a flushability standard through a Standards Council of Canada-accredited standards development organization within five years.
Metro Vancouver passed the resolution at its November 29 Board of Directors meeting. The board supported the request from Dana Zheng, program manager of source control at Metro Vancouver’s liquid waste services department, who says that wet wipes bound with other unflushables clog pipes to the tune of $2.7 million every year for the Metro Vancouver area.
In recent months, Metro Vancouver crews removed 50 tonnes of fatbergs — chunks of hardened grease and other materials — from the city’s Lulu Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Richmond, B.C. City staff says it has been one of the hotspots for fat deposits because of the city’s flat terrain, giving grease more time to settle and harden inside the pipes.
City staff used non-traditional sonar technology equipment to clearly define where, and how much grease, was present. The flushing equipment was able to effectively remove grease from the large siphons.
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While FCM called on the federal government in March 2023 for a moratorium on the “flushable” designation in Canada, roadblocks continue to appear over dueling definitions of flushability, limiting legislative options.
The new resolution suggests that the federal government should fund and mandate an appropriate coordinating body to manage the development of a flushability standard to limit the impact of clogs and fatbergs on wastewater infrastructure.
