scope:

Purpose

This Standard applies to the management of northern MSW facilities, including the evaluation, planning, siting, design, implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of MSW facilities and includes pollution risk management strategies and mitigation measures for new and existing infrastructure in northern communities. This Standard provides

a) procedures for planning, siting, designing, constructing, operating, inspecting, monitoring, and maintaining solid waste management facilities as well as mitigation measures as applicable;

b) an outline of procedures for conducting an overall risk assessment, including infrastructure vulnerability;

c) factors to be considered in land use and infrastructure planning;

d) an overview of the typical drivers of natural and human-made hazards to which this Standard is applicable, including climate change;

e) closure and decommissioning requirements and best practices;

f) post-closure inspection, monitoring, maintenance, and management;

g) emergency response and contingency planning protocols;

h) a framework for community-based processes for addressing solid waste issues, human health, and environmental considerations; and

i) background information and relevant reference material.

Notes:

1) Compliance with this Standard will allow users to demonstrate that the design and implementation of risk management strategies and mitigation measures take into consideration, and are compatible with, the preservation of permafrost or reduction of the disruptive effects of permafrost thaw. Because the performance of permafrost is often integral to the success of risk management strategies intended to protect human health and the environment at solid waste management facilities, compliance with this Standard will help mitigate impacts to infrastructure and the environment within and surrounding the project site.

2) Permafrost is not the only challenge faced by those who design and operate waste management facilities in the North, however. Often, the remote location of the communities mean that it is hard to hire and retain staff to manage the complex activities that underlie the safe operation of modern waste management sites. Communities might also find it expensive to undertake many of the measures described in this Standard. Those who embark on the development and operation of waste management facilities must be confident that they can access the monetary and non-monetary resources that the site will require throughout a facility life that could span several decades.

3) This Standard does not replace existing legislation or regulations (see Preface and Clause 4). It can be used in whole or in part to supplement existing regulations, or it can be adopted as jurisdictions see fit. The intent of the Standard is to help each jurisdiction improve the management of municipal solid waste. Annex C provides a list of existing legislation, guidelines, and other documents from each jurisdiction