Burnaby’s waste diversion bylaw applies to every building, not just old ones
Under the City’s Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion Bylaw No. 14461, every demolition permit issued in Burnaby carries a diversion obligation. This is a real difference from Vancouver, where the recycling thresholds only bite on pre 1950 houses. In Burnaby, a building from 1998 is treated the same as one from 1948.
| Requirement | What it means for your project |
|---|---|
| Waste Diversion Plan | An approved plan must be in place before the demolition permit is issued. It is reviewed by the City’s Climate Action and Energy Division. |
| Waste Diversion Deposit | A refundable deposit calculated on the building’s square footage, up to a maximum of $50,000. Larger buildings mean more capital tied up until the work is verified. |
| Minimum diversion rate | A minimum of 70 percent diversion is required to be eligible for the full deposit refund. |
| Compliance report | Recycling facility receipts and weigh tickets must be submitted to demonstrate the rate was achieved. |
| Tree permit review | Runs in parallel with the demolition application where permit sized trees are present. |
How we plan a project to actually hit the diversion rate
A 70 percent diversion rate is not something you can achieve retroactively. Once wood, drywall, concrete and metal have gone into one mixed bin, the rate is lost and so is a portion of the deposit. The separation has to be designed into the sequence of work.
- Pre demolition survey. We identify which material streams the building will produce and roughly in what volume, alongside the hazardous materials assessment.
- Soft strip first. Fixtures, cabinetry, doors, appliances and reusable finishes are removed by hand before any machine work, because these are the highest value diversion items.
- Hazardous materials removed. Abatement is completed and documented before general demolition, which also keeps contaminated material out of the clean recycling streams.
- Separated bins on site. Clean wood, drywall, concrete and rubble, and metals are kept in separate streams rather than combined.
- Facility routing. Each stream goes to a facility that will issue a weigh ticket for that material type.
- Compliance documentation. We compile the receipts and weigh tickets into the package the City needs to release your deposit.
Site profile requirements on former commercial and industrial land
This is a Burnaby specific step that catches developers more often than homeowners. Where the land is currently used, or was previously used, for industrial or commercial activity, provincial statute may require a site profile to be submitted as part of the demolition permit application. Burnaby’s Engineering department administers this.
Practically, this means a corner store, an auto shop, a dry cleaner or a small workshop on the lot changes your application, even if the structure itself is unremarkable. We flag this on the site visit rather than letting it surface halfway through the permit process, and we coordinate the hazardous waste disposal documentation that goes with it.
The four types of demolition we do in Burnaby
Burnaby has the most mixed building stock of anywhere we work, running from 1950s bungalows to Metrotown towers to Big Bend warehouses, and the scope categories below reflect that spread.
Commercial and retail demolition
Tenant improvement strip-outs and full unit demolition in retail, office and restaurant space, concentrated around Metrotown, Brentwood and Lougheed. These buildings are usually partly occupied, so we work to negotiated hours, seal the work area from adjoining tenancies and coordinate with building management on loading and freight access.
Industrial and warehouse demolition
Larger structures in the Big Bend and Still Creek industrial areas, including warehouses, workshops and process buildings. These sites carry the highest likelihood of industrial asbestos in pipe lagging, boiler insulation, roofing and cladding, and they are also the sites most likely to trigger the site profile requirement above.
Residential demolition
Full teardown of detached houses ahead of rebuild, most often in Burnaby Heights, East Burnaby and along the Kingsway corridor. The diversion deposit applies here as it does everywhere else in the city, so material separation is planned from the start.
Interior demolition for renovation
Gutting kitchens, bathrooms, basements and full floors in homes and low rise apartments that are staying up. As elsewhere, anything built before 1990 needs asbestos testing in Burnaby before the first wall is opened. Testing is $270 and credited toward removal if asbestos is confirmed and you proceed.
Areas of Burnaby we work in
The type of work changes considerably from one part of the city to another, and so does the permitting picture.
Metrotown and Brentwood are dominated by redevelopment. Most of our work here is commercial strip-out and low rise removal ahead of tower construction, with high diversion deposits attached because of building size.
Burnaby Heights and Willingdon Heights hold 1950s to 1970s detached homes on standard lots. Vermiculite, stipple ceilings and asbestos in drywall compound are consistent findings.
East Burnaby and Edmonds carry a similar era of housing with more mixed use frontage along Kingsway, which brings small commercial site profile questions into play more often.
Big Bend and Still Creek are the industrial areas, and the only part of our Metro Vancouver service area where large scale warehouse and process building demolition is routine.
Lougheed and Government Road combine post war housing with newer institutional and multi family redevelopment near SFU and the Lougheed corridor.
Deer Lake and Buckingham Heights have larger lots and higher value homes, where selective and interior demolition ahead of major renovation is more common than teardown.
Areas We Serve
We serve many areas, including the following:
If your area isn’t listed, give us a call—we’ll do our best to help!
