Question 9 of 22: Managing Solid Waste from a Major Winter Sporting Event

Question 9: Managing Solid Waste from a Major Winter Sporting Event (20 marks)

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

The report below is structured as a professional consulting deliverable, with main headings (numbered) and supporting sub-headings (point form), covering the full scope from problem definition through post-event close-out.

• 1.0 Executive Summary
  • 1.1 Scope of the event-driven waste management challenge and key recommendations
  • 1.2 Summary of estimated peak/total additional waste volumes and cost implications
• 2.0 Introduction and Scope
  • 2.1 Event overview — duration (3 weeks), expected visitor/spectator population, venue locations relative to the community
  • 2.2 Objectives — maintain baseline service to the 50,000 permanent residents while accommodating the event surge without service failure or environmental/public-health incident
  • 2.3 Regulatory and stakeholder context — event organizing committee, municipality, provincial regulator, venue operators
• 3.0 Waste Generation Estimate
  • 3.1 Baseline (permanent-resident) generation rate, kg/capita/day, from existing municipal records
  • 3.2 Estimated transient/visitor population and per-capita generation rate for spectators, athletes, media and staff (typically higher than residential, with a large recyclable/food-service fraction)
  • 3.3 Estimated waste composition for the event (high proportion of food-service packaging, beverage containers, food waste) versus baseline residential composition
  • 3.4 Peak-day versus average-day generation — event days with marquee competitions will generate a disproportionate peak load
• 4.0 Assessment of Existing System Capacity
  • 4.1 Existing collection fleet, crew, and disposal/diversion facility capacity against baseline demand
  • 4.2 Capacity gap analysis — incremental collection, processing and disposal capacity needed to absorb the event surge
  • 4.3 Remaining landfill airspace / transfer-station throughput check against the added tonnage
• 5.0 Temporary Infrastructure and Collection Plan
  • 5.1 Venue-based collection points — sorted bin stations (recycling, organics, refuse) at spectator areas, and additional receptacles along transit/pedestrian corridors
  • 5.2 Increased collection frequency and temporary collection routes/schedules for the event period, including overnight/early-morning servicing to avoid conflicting with event traffic
  • 5.3 Temporary transfer/staging area near venues to consolidate loads before haul to the permanent disposal/processing facility, reducing truck traffic through venue access roads
  • 5.4 Additional equipment and temporary labour requirements (rented compactors, mutual-aid crews from neighbouring municipalities)
• 6.0 Diversion and Recycling Strategy
  • 6.1 Source-separated recycling and composting stations at all food-service and spectator areas, with clear signage/way-finding
  • 6.2 Vendor/concessionaire requirements — compostable food-service ware, minimum recycled-content packaging, deposit-return for beverage containers
  • 6.3 Target diversion rate for the event and a monitoring plan to track it against baseline municipal diversion
• 7.0 Logistics and Traffic Coordination
  • 7.1 Coordination with event transportation/security plans to schedule collection vehicle access around road closures and pedestrian volumes
  • 7.2 Haul-route planning to and from the temporary transfer point, minimizing conflicts with spectator and athlete transport
• 8.0 Regulatory Approvals and Stakeholder Coordination
  • 8.1 Temporary-facility/permit amendments required for any transfer station, additional landfill throughput, or extended operating hours
  • 8.2 Coordination with the organizing committee, venue operators, provincial regulator and First Nations where applicable
• 9.0 Staffing, Equipment and Budget
  • 9.1 Incremental staffing plan (additional crews, supervisors, on-site waste ambassadors to guide sorting)
  • 9.2 Equipment procurement/rental schedule and demobilization plan
  • 9.3 Capital and operating cost estimate, and proposed cost allocation between the municipality, event organizing committee and sponsors
• 10.0 Public Communication Plan
  • 10.1 Signage and way-finding for sorting at venues and along pedestrian routes
  • 10.2 Advance public messaging to residents on any temporary changes to their regular collection schedule
• 11.0 Monitoring, Contingency and Post-Event Wrap-up
  • 11.1 Daily tonnage and diversion-rate monitoring during the event, with a contingency plan for above-forecast peak days (on-call surge capacity)
  • 11.2 Demobilization plan for temporary infrastructure once the event concludes
  • 11.3 Post-event report — actual tonnage, diversion rate achieved, cost reconciliation, and lessons learned for future events
• 12.0 Recommendations and Conclusion