Lower Mainland communities applaud Metro Vancouver's goals to reduce waste creation and to boost reuse, recycling and material recovery, but their full support doesn't extend to waste to energy incineration options.

The Lower Mainland Economic Sustainability Panel wants Metro Vancouver to take time to review its waste management strategy and "do it right."

The LMESP, which represents chambers of commerce and boards of trade from Hope to White Rock to Squamish, plus the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of B.C., says it wants to protect taxpayers from unknown health risks as well as future financial burdens.

In a paper completed last month by the group's solid waste management task force, in response to Metro Vancouver's proposed plan, the task force urges Metro Vancouver to put all waste disposal options "on the table."

The Metro Vancouver regional district proposes to build a multi-million dollar waste incinerator that it says will also produce power. But critics fear the exhaust will contain an unknown soup of toxins that will drift up the Fraser Valley. Critics also argue the burner will discourage waste reduction strategies.

The LMESP sees this growing into a landfill versus incineration debate when there is a range of options available.

"We encourage Metro to include a combination all of these options, with the ultimate mix of options based on the cost to the taxpayer, the health of the taxpayers and nearby residents, the environmental impact over time, the flexibility of each option over time, the potential financial risk of each option," they write.

The group encourages Metro to take the time to do it right, to have "comprehensive, transparent and complete due diligence on all aspects of waste management, including multiple criteria analyses, risk analyses, life cycle analyses and health risk analyses."

"It is critical that Metro Vancouver take the time to do this due diligence right, thereby protecting the taxpayer in the short and long term," said the task force.

Since December 2009, the LMESP task force has met with chairmen from Metro's regional district and the Fraser Valley Regional District, and examined Metro's proposal, other Metro documents and studies, plus looked at experts comments on the Metro plan, including ones by KPMG.

The LMESP paper also notes that business has a responsible role to play in waste reduction and wants Metro to be more inclusive in involving the business community in its waste management goals.

The paper was prepared for its member groups to use as a guideline for responding to the waste plan offered by Metro Vancouver, which has set a July 14 deadline for input.

The LMESP was formed in 2009 to deal with issues that impact on the economic sustainability of the Lower Mainland, including the Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley and Squamish Lillooet Regional Districts.

- For a copy of the comments regarding Metro Vancouver's solid waste management plan, contact your local chamber of commerce office. In Abbotsford the number is 604-859-9651, and in Mission it's 604-826-6914.