OTTAWA-Stittsville residents have “done their share” and other sites in Ottawa should be considered if landfills are to be built, Mayor Larry O’Brien told council on Wednesday.
O’Brien has spoken out against landfills in general, but said the situation was particularly bad for residents near the Carp Road landfill site, which is being considered for a proposed expansion.
“They have more thousands of tonnes of garbage located close to them than any other resident in the city of Ottawa,” O’Brien said.
Better waste-disposal options are needed, “but, quite frankly, it’s time to look at another location in the city of Ottawa,” he said.
Council was discussing comments the city will make to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment on proposed terms that Waste Management has submitted for an environmental assessment on an expanded landfill site.
The company is proposing a 6.5-million-cubic-metre facility near Highway 417, which would be capable of taking 400,000 tonnes of industrial, commercial and institutional garbage each year for a decade. A composting and recycling facility would also be built.
Although the city can submit comments to try to influence the ministry’s decision, it doesn’t control the process.
Stittsville-Kanata West Councillor Shad Qadri said Wednesday he wanted to send a strong message to the province and pushed for council to urge the ministry to reject the proposed terms and only allow the recycling facilities to proceed. His motion was defeated on a 5-17 vote.
Council decided to proceed with several comments stemming from a staff report and the planning committee.
The ministry will be urged before it considers new or expanded landfills to “put in place programs and policies necessary” to increase the amount of industrial, commercial and institutional waste that’s diverted from landfills.
The city will also recommend that Waste Management conduct a full environmental assessment “to ensure the examination of all major issues, including demonstrating that all alternative disposal techniques are not feasible before a new or expanded landfill is considered.”
It will also call for a groundwater protection program and suggest that the amount of garbage the landfill could accept should decrease as more waste was diverted.
Council also decided to send a letter to the ministry — copied to other municipalities — to encourage an improved waste diversion rate.
The city’s comments on the terms of reference must go to the ministry by Monday.
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