A policy is needed to regulate what course of action should be taken and how it should be implemented. For this reason, many plans and policies have been put in place revolving around solid waste management. Sometimes, however, a particular policy may have shortcomings, so the negative aspects may outweigh the positive ones. According to the Conference Board of Canada report, “Canadians dispose of more municipal solid waste per capita than any other country” (2013). Solid waste management, in particular, involves many aspects, ranging from packaging waste, to food waste, etc. (White & Franke 1999), therefore, the following analysis revolves around domestic and commercial waste – referred to as municipal solid waste (White & Franke. 1999) – in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. Municipal waste represents a serious health and environmental concern as it contributes to numerous problems such as habitat destruction, pollution of surface aquifers and other forms of air, soil and water contamination. Waste disposal methods such as incineration create toxic substances, and landfills emit methane, which contributes to global warming. According to the Zero Waste Goal Report, “The impact of climate change and the growing awareness of the role of “waste” and “waste” in producing greenhouse gas emissions represent constant environmental pressure… (2009). This leads to increasing government limitation in preventing and controlling the volume and toxicity of products in the waste stream and an increasing need to shift responsibility to the product manufacturer. Furthermore, “In 2008, nearly 13 tonnes of waste was generated by Canadian households. Of this, more than 8.5 million tonnes were disposed of in landfill or incineration... middle of paper... Metro Vancouver's New Waste Plan. Solid waste and recycling. 13 (2), p 8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/docview/212419630Toxics Action Center, 2012 (np): The Problems With Waste. Toxic Substances Action Centre. Retrieved from: http://www.tossicisaction.org/problems-and-solutions/wasteWhite, P. & Franke, M., 1999: Integrated solid waste management: a life cycle inventory. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Aspen.Zero Waste Challenge (n.d., np): Metro Vancouver's Zero Waste Challenge. Surrey. Retrieved from: http://www.surrey.ca/city-services/8684.aspxZero Waste Objective Report, 2009: Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Management with a Zero Waste Objective: Study of Solid Waste in the Metropolitan Area of Vancouver, British Columbia. Recycling Council of British Columbia. Retrieved from: http://www.rcbc.ca/files/u7/ement_for_ZeroWaste_Objective_ReportJune2009.pdf