Organic matter recycling regulation and guidance

The Organic Matter Recycling Regulation of B.C. (OMRR) governs the construction and operation of compost facilities, as well as the production, distribution, storage, sale and use of biosolids and compost.

OMRR provides guidance for local governments and compost and biosolids producers on how to use organic material while protecting soil quality and drinking water sources.

Review the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation.

The most recent amendments to the OMRR relate to composting facilities:

• Order in Council
• Organic Matter Recycling Regulation Amendment Fact Sheet (PDF, 48KB)
• Organic Matter Recycling Regulation Amendment Backgrounder (PDF, 40KB)

Regulatory review

As shared in the 2018 Intentions Paper (PDF, 592KB) and 2019 Summary of Public Input (PDF, 965KB), the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, is pursuing regulatory modernization for the Organic Matter Recycling Regulation (OMRR) to improve the protection of human health and the environment.

To address emerging issues, a project update has been developed to align OMRR with advances in science and evolving technical standards in other jurisdictions.

Review the project update:

• 2022 OMRR Project Update (PDF, 520KB)

For more information on the consultation process and the development of policy intention papers, visit the Environmental protection regulatory review page.

B.C. guidance documents

Guidance to understand and comply with the requirements outlined in the regulation:

• Land Application Guidelines (PDF, 8.3MB)
• Compost
• Biosolids

CCME guidance documents

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) is an intergovernmental forum for collective action on environmental issues of national and international concern.

CCME produces many reports, tools, agreements and scientific and technical documents. 

The following CCME publications pertain to water quality, soil quality, biosolids and composting.

---