Metro Vancouver has voted to haul its garbage to the United States until it can find another place to dump its waste.

Metro chair Lois Jackson said more than 27 options were considered and ruled out before reaching the decision.

"We have to find a solution to our garbage problem, and the only one that's left standing is exporting to the United States," she said Friday.

The move to the U.S. would allow the region to export more than 600,000 tonnes of waste annually until an alternative solution is reached.

Marvin Hunt, the chair of the waste committee for Metro Vancouver who has been working on the issue for more than 10 years, said much work remains to be done.

"The process isn't finished yet," Hunt said. "We're looking at this only as a temporary solution until we're able to get a much better long-term solution."

Hunt said the board has approached three sites in the U.S. in the hope competition will land the province the best possible price.

The current landfill in Cache Creek is expected to close sometime next year.