Do you need a waste discharge authorization

You need an authorization for:

• Air emissions from boilers and heaters bigger than 0.15 megawatts (MW)
  • Such as: those used by a greenhouse or nursery

Learn more and start your application

You do not need an authorization for:

• Boilers and heaters that are 0.15 MW or less and are CSA certified
• These are considered already registered

You need an authorization to:

Discharge air emissions from:

• The use of cutback asphalt 
• Hot-in-place asphalt recycling plants and hot mix asphalt plants (except in Metro Vancouver) 

Learn more and start your application

You do not need an authorization for:

• Associated gravel production
• Hot tar roofing
• Surface grinding of asphalt
• Beneficial use of surface grindings
• Disposal of old asphalt in dry conditions

These discharges require a separate authorization:

• Effluent discharges 
• Disposal of solid waste​

You need an authorization for:

• The construction and operation of compost facilities
• The production, distribution, storage and sale of biosolids and compost

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization for:

• Land apply biosolids and Class B compost. For this activity, you need to be authorized for land application of organic matter
• Soil blending operations. For this activity, see all other activities
• Soil amendments such as lime, fly ash or wastewater residuals. For this activity, see soil amendments
• Slaughter waste from slaughter and poultry processing facilities less than defined amounts. For this activity, see slaughter and poultry processing
• Composting agricultural by-products on the same property. For this activity, see agricultural composting
• Composting mushroom waste. For this activity, see mushroom compost

You need an authorization for:

• Manufacturing ready-mix concrete or concrete products and related air and process water discharges

Learn more and start your application

You do not need an authorization for:

• Discharging solid concrete, including residual slurry and sludge
• Small scale home concrete projects
• Concrete mix operations

You need an authorization to:

• Dispose of water, wastewater or water mixed with chemicals in a deep well if you are 3rd party service provider

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization to:

• Dispose of water, wastewater or water mixed with chemicals in a deep well if you are a primary producer
• You may need an authorization under the BC Oil and Gas Commission

You need an authorization to:

Receive, treat, discharge or dispose of:

• Asbestos
• Waste oil
• Pest control product wastes 
• Waste paint, solvents and industrial cleaners
• Biomedical waste
• Dangerous goods as defined under the Federal Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act 
• PCBs
• Other waste as defined in the Hazardous Waste Regulation

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization to:

• Generate hazardous waste
• Transport hazardous waste
• Operate a return collection facility

These require a different registration.

You need an authorization to:

• Apply biosolids to land
• Apply Class B compost from a managed facility to land

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization to:

• Apply nutrient sources to agricultural land. For this activity, see agricultural environmental management
• Apply soil amendments such as fly ash, residuals from pulp and paper and industrial activity. For this activity, see soil amendments

You need an authorization for:

• Land-based facilities where finfish are fed, nurtured, held, maintained or reared in fresh water to reach a size for release or market sale. For example, fish hatcheries, rearing ponds or other similar facilities

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization for:

• Net pen facilities
• Spawning channels
• Fish product processing. For this activity, you may need an effluent authorization

You need an authorization for:

• Mining related air discharges
• Mining related effluent discharges
• Mining related refuse discharges

Each of these discharges may require a separate authorization.

Learn more and start your application

You need an authorization to:

Compost waste from facilities producing a mushroom growing substrate.

Waste includes: 

• Air emissions 
• Wastewater effluent 
• Solid waste
• Storage

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization for:

• Mushroom production. For this activity, see agricultural environmental management

You need an authorization to:

Operate facilities including:

• Petroleum storage greater than 100,000 litres
• Distribution facilities greater than 100,000 litres
• Cardlocks

Learn more and start your application

You do not need an authorization to:

• Store less than 100,000 litres of petroleum
• Store at a location for less than 180 consecutive days
• Operate retail service stations
• Deliver fuel from storage to end-users at marinas, airports or ports

Air emissions from bulk plants are governed under the Gasoline Vapour Control Regulation.

You need an authorization when your placer mine discharges waste to the environment

• If you currently operate a placer mine and do not meet the conditions of the Placer Mine Waste Control Regulation, you must submit an application by January 1, 2022.

Learn more and start your application

You do not need a waste discharge authorization when you meet all of the following conditions

• Hand panning for gold
• Exploring for minerals using equipment movable by hand and:
  • You do not use mercury or other chemicals
  • The washwater delivery system intake does not exceed 38 mm
  • The tailings are discharged to a tailings pond with a minimum of 0.5 m freeboard
  • The water in the tailings pond is reused or allowed to seep into the ground
  • No suspended sediment is allowed to enter downstream
• Producing minerals where
  • You do not use mercury or other chemicals
  • The tailings are discharged to a tailings pond with a minimum of 0.5 m freeboard
  • The water in the tailings pond is reused or allowed to seep into the ground
  • No suspended sediment is allowed to enter downstream

You need an authorization to:

• Discharge more than 22.7 m³/d or 500 gallons of sewage or wastewater from treatment facilities to ground
• Discharge to water
• Use reclaimed water
• Discharge private and municipal sewage

Learn more and start your application

You do not need an authorization to:

• Discharge to ground if less than 22.7 m³/d. This is regulated under the onsite sewage regulation

A different process is followed for Liquid Waste Management Plans and Operational Certificates.

You need an authorization for:

Slaughter and poultry processing facilities processing: 

• More than 5 tonnes (live weight killed) red meat or combination of red meat and poultry per year 
• More than 1.5 tonnes (live weight killed) poultry meat per year

And that manage waste in one or more of the following ways:

• Discharge wastewater to ground or irrigation
• Air emissions from incinerating solid waste
• Landfill solid waste
• Compost solid waste

Learn more and start your application

You also need to be authorized as a composting facility if composting more than:

• 30 tonnes of solid waste from red meat or combination of red meat and poultry processing per year
• 10.5 tonnes of solid waste from poultry processing per year

You do not need this authorization for:

• Discharging all wastewater to an authorized municipal sewage system and all solid waste to an authorized rendering facility or municipal landfill
• Slaughter and poultry processing facilities for personal use. For this activity see agricultural environmental management
• Discharging waste from poultry egg cleaning or grading and the sale of live poultry. For these activities see all other activities

You need an authorization to:

Land apply more than 5 m³ of soil amendments. This includes industrial inorganic or organic wastes, for example:

• Fly ash
• Lime
• Pulp or paper mill wastewater residuals
• Water treatment residuals
• Industrial wood residue

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization for:

• Bottom ash application. For this activity see all other activities
• Land apply biosolids and Class B compost. For this activity you need to be authorized for land application of organic matter
• Applying wood waste and nutrients on agricultural land. For this activity see agricultural environmental management

You need an authorization to:

• Dismantle more than 5 wet vehicles per year. A wet vehicle means a motor vehicle that's no longer used for transportation purposes and still contains fluids like oil, gas and coolant

Learn more and start your application

You do not need an authorization to:

• Dismantle less than 5 wet vehicles per year
• Recycle steel and operate crush facilities not associated with vehicle recyclers
• Operate vehicle service stations or garages and repair shops which do not recover or recycle parts from used cars

You need an authorization to:

Operate:

• Wood waste landfills at wood processing facilities 
• Dryland log sort landfills
• Remote camp landfills

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization to:

• Compost wood waste. You need to be authorized as a composting facility for this activity

The following require a different landfill authorization:

• Landfills not related to wood processing
• Private landfills
• Pulp mill landfills
• Commercial landfills that accept waste for a tipping fee

You need an authorization to:

• Discharge air emissions including:
  • Dust 
  • Particulate from manufacturing and industry
  • Volatile organic compounds
  • Heavy metals

Learn more and start your application

You do not need an authorization to:

• Discharge odour causing compounds, excluding H₂S
• Discharge steam

You need an authorization to:

Discharge liquid waste, including:

• Mine effluent
• Manufacturing process water
• Cooling water
• Conditioning water
• Solvent water
• Landfill leachate
• Surface water run-off
• Equipment and product wash water
• Sterilization waste water

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization for:

• Discharging less than 22.7 m³/d of treated sewage to ground. This is regulated under the onsite sewage regulation
• Discharges of sewage or wastewater regulated under the Municipal Wastewater Regulation, including:
  • Discharge of more than 22.7 m³/d or 500 gallons from treatment facilities to ground 
  • Most discharges to water
  • Reclaimed water uses 
  • Private and municipal discharges
  • These activities need to be authorized as sewage and municipal wastewater

A different process is followed for Liquid Waste Management Plans and Operational Certificates.

You need an authorization to:

Discharge waste to ground, including:

• Ash or partially burned materials
• Sludge
• Bark, trim ends, off grade chips

Learn more and start your application

You do not need this authorization to:

• Operate a wood waste landfill associated with a wood processing facility. For this activity see wood waste landfills

A different process is followed for Municipal Waste Management Plans and Operational Certificates.