Tofino

Tofino-area landfill bans neoprene wetsuits

The West Coast Landfill is one of the first in Canada to implement the ban over environmental concerns

The West Coast Landfill, located between the popular surfing communities of Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island's west coast, is now one of the first in the country to ban neoprene wetsuits.

In a statement on Thursday, the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) — which owns and operates the landfill — announced that its board of directors had adopted an amendment on Sept. 23 to add wetsuits as prohibited waste.

Wetsuits will now instead be recycled at the Ocean Plastic Depot, handily located at the landfill, where they will be taken to an upcycling program ran by the Surfrider Foundation Canada.

"By creating a dedicated recycling pathway for neoprene, we're reducing waste, supporting local innovation, and helping residents make more sustainable choices while turning waste into a resource," said ACRD board chair Jon Jack in a statement.

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Surfrider is a non-profit based in Victoria dedicated to protecting oceans, and has been working towards the ban since 2016, according to spokesperson Lilly Woodbury.

Woodbury says wetsuits are made of neoprene, which is a synthetic plastic byproduct that doesn't break down.

Keeping wetsuits out of landfills is an important part of reducing plastic waste, according to her.

Woodbury says Surfrider has been operating a "ReSurf" program for over a decade, dedicated to collecting old and retired wetsuits for recycling and upcycling.

"We wanted to get all of the systems up and running, make sure everyone was educated, all the businesses know about it, get their participation, really creating that voluntary buy-in and cultural shift first," she explained.

Woodbury says the ban is just the start — and that ultimately, her goal is to get companies away from using neoprene altogether.

She points out that gear companies like Patagonia have already moved to a similar fabric called Yulex, a plant-based natural rubber that offers a more sustainable option.

Woodbury says that Yulex offers a lower carbon footprint, while eliminating chemicals such as chloroprene that are used in traditional wetsuits.

"We would love to see the whole industry ... move away from those synthetics, as one of the main things we work on is plastic reduction," she said.

Woodbury says that in the last year, Surfriders' ReSurf program has kept over 10,000 pounds' worth of wetsuits out of B.C. landfills.

Claire Palmer is a video journalist with CBC News based in Nanaimo, B.C. Originally from Ontario, she spent three years in Golden, B.C., before joining CBC. You can contact her at claire.palmer@cbc.ca