Waste Management in Ottawa

[rocketphish]

West Carleton landfill gets provincial go-ahead

By Maria Cook, Ottawa Citizen September 5, 2013

OTTAWA — A controversial proposal for a new landfill on Carp Road has won provincial approval in the face of concerns about odour, pollution, traffic and size of the facility.

The Ontario environment ministry announced Thursday that it has approved plans for the West Carleton Environmental Centre after an environmental assessment and public consultation.

“It means the project can move ahead,” said ministry spokeswoman Kate Jordan. “We were satisfied the site can operate in a way that is protective of the community and environment.”

Olivia Nixon, who represents a coalition of citizens’ groups that campaigned to stop the landfill, disagrees.

“It’s a recipe for disaster,” she said. “This landfill sits on fractured limestone which is highly vulnerable to groundwater contamination. There will be odour. Carp Road is already over-congested.

“It’s too close to too many people,” added Nixon. “Why would you build a landfill in the middle of three of the fastest-growing regions of the City of Ottawa — Kanata, Stittsville and Carp?”

Waste Management of Canada, the owner, plans a landfill that would take 400,000 tonnes of trash a year for 10 years. The project also includes waste diversion and recycling, composting, and renewable energy facilities.

The 37.8-hectare site is west of the Canadian Tire Centre and beside the old Carp Road dump, which closed in 2011.

The ministry’s approval comes with conditions: The company must establish a community liaison committee, a complaint response protocol and a ground- and surface-water monitoring program. It must have plans for property value protection and mitigation of species-at-risk.

The three councillors who represent the affected wards expressed disappointment at the decision.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson. “I was hoping they would listen to what we had asked municipally, which included reducing the size of the facility to about half and to meet targets for recycling. We could have lived with a smaller one. We don’t need one that big.”

Stittsville Coun. Shad Qadri noted that other City of Ottawa recommendations seem to have been ignored. Council wanted improved waste diversion for the industrial, commercial and institutional sector and tighter rules for odour control. It also called for the landfill to accept waste only from Ottawa and Lanark County and for the company to help pay for widening Carp Road.

“I don’t hear any of those addressed,” said Qadri. “I’m very disappointed.”

Not only that, said Eli El-Chantiry, councillor for West Carleton-March, but the ministry did not notify the city. He had to hear the news from reporters.

“We don’t get any heads-up,” he said. “I find it insulting.”

Jordan explained that approval related to the environmental assessment deals only with the proposed landfill site, not the recycling facility that the company also plans to build.

Conditions about the amount of waste that can be accepted, capacity of the site and decommissioning requirements will be set out later in ministry approvals required to operate the waste disposal site, she said.

Waste Management’s site manager Ross Wallace declined to comment, saying he hadn’t heard about the approval.

Phil Sweetnam, president of the Stittsville village association, struck a positive note. The ministry’s conditions and the community liaison committee “can hold WM to a high degree of accountability in ensuring a safe environment for our community,” he said.

“The approval of this landfill will provide an alternative disposal facility to deal with waste until the Plasco waste-treatment facility is operational,” he added.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen



http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technol...606/story.html

[S-Man]

Not surprised of the approval or of the arrogant attitude towards the city.

Frankly, I'm surprised one of those two cancelled-and-diverted GTA gas plants isn't also moving in next door to Ottawa.

[rocketphish]

Environment minister apologizes for sandbagging Ottawa on Carp Road dump plans

By David Reevely, OTTAWA CITIZEN September 6, 2013 1:01 PM

OTTAWA — The provincial government didn’t mean to tell the world it was approving the expansion of the Carp Road landfill before informing any Ottawa politicians, a spokeswoman said Friday.

The decision, and particularly its abrupt release Thursday afternoon, angered Mayor Jim Watson so much that he fired off a letter to Environment Minister Jim Bradley to complain. Watson hand-delivered a package of information, comments and requests about the landfill as Waste Management applied to expand it, he wrote, and Bradley must have known how important the issue is to west-end residents.

“[N]o staff at the City of Ottawa received an advance, or at the very least simultaneous, notification that a decision had been made or was about to be released,” Watson’s letter said. “Shortly after initial media reports, my office did receive a call from the proponent informed us that a decision had been made in their favour.”

The situation is especially galling because it turns out the provincial cabinet signed off on the landfill expansion a week ago, Watson wrote. So there was plenty of time to tell everyone.

“I trust that the lack of respect displayed by the Ministry of the Environment in the handling of this decision will be addressed by your office on an urgent basis,” the letter concludes. Besides Bradley, it went to Premier Kathleen Wynne. Both of whom are former cabinet colleagues of Watson, who was a Liberal MPP under former premier Dalton McGuinty.

The treatment at the ministry’s hands is especially galling because it’s not the first time. Last April, Watson wrote to Finance Minister Charles Sousa asking for two favours — an adjustment to a rule about municipal pensions and, more importantly, a second casino beyond the one that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. wants to have in Ottawa — and never got a reply, even though he chummily crossed off the customary “Dear Minister:” salutation and handwrote “Charles” instead.

Watson repeated the casino request this summer and was turned down, this time with a letter sent minutes before Watson was to chair a city council committee meeting dealing with the issue.

In the case of the dump, the ministry says it sandbagged Watson and west-end councillors by accident, and compounded the mistake by insisting it had given them a heads-up when it hadn’t.

“Due to an internal communications mixup in the ministry, we incorrectly stated that Mayor Watson was personally notified of the decision,” wrote spokeswoman Kate Jordan in an email to the Citizen Friday. “This is not correct. In fact, due to an error, the mayor was not notified.

“The MOE apologizes to Mayor Watson.”

The Waste Management landfill, which takes garbage from private hauling companies that collect it from businesses and public institutions, is slated to accept 400,000 tonnes of trash a year for 10 years. The project also includes waste diversion and recycling, composting, and renewable energy facilities. The site is next to Waste Management’s old Carp Road dump, off Highway 417 west of the Canadian Tire Centre.

dreevely@ottawacitizen.com

ottawacitizen.com/greaterottawa
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ot...813/story.html

[J.OT13]

Queen's park miss-handled yet another issue, but as for the approval of the expanded landfill, I have no objections. We have garbage and we need a place to put it and Plasco isn't opening anytime soon, if ever. That land is already contaminated so why not there. Most residential around there was recently built; if you didn't want a dump next to your house, you should not have moved next to a dump.

[S-Man]

Isn't this facility also designed to handle other Ontarions' trash as well? I could be wrong, but I heard that is was for more than just Ottawa.

If that's the case, I'm not surprised Toronto - sorry, I meant 'The Provincial Government' - broke the sound barrier with their rubber stamp while approving this.

[J.OT13]

The article says Shad Qadri was disappointed it wasn't just for Ottawa and Lanark County garbage so I assume we will take in more than our share of trash. That part I don't agree with. Seems they rubber stamped the Carp dump because they likely will never win a seat in that area anyway (it has been a Conservative stronghold for as long as I know).

[S-Man]

Is it actually in West Carleton or is it technically in the boundaries of Stittsville or Kanata? Either way, dumping trash in a riding you don't see yourself getting a seat in isn't exactly an applause-worthy action on the part of any government. It's vindictive.

We all know the lengths and expense this province went through securing the votes of those gas plant disapprovers, so this is par for the course. Send the smelly, noisy things to the peasants living in those hellish dumps over the horizon!

[S-Man]

The article says Shad Qadri was disappointed it wasn't just for Ottawa and Lanark County garbage so I assume we will take in more than our share of trash. That part I don't agree with. Seems they rubber stamped the Carp dump because they likely will never win a seat in that area anyway (it has been a Conservative stronghold for as long as I know).

Are you saying you do agree with vindictive trash-dumping in a riding not ruled by THE PARTY you support? Seems kind of mean, don't you think?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by S-Man

Are you saying you do agree with vindictive trash-dumping in a riding not ruled by THE PARTY you support? Seems kind of mean, don't you think?

I'm saying I never had a problem with expanding the Carp dump (even when I lived in Carp, and I still work in Sttitsville), if you need a dump, that's the place to put it. That said, I don't agree with the Toronto's motive as to why they approved the landfill. Government needs to go with logic, not votes.

[1overcosc]

Gotta love the government and their seat-grabbing strategies. Like all the pork-barrel spending in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell lately. That riding is one of the most politically valuable for the Libs, as they barely won it last time, and, more importantly, it is the only rural riding in the entire province held by the Liberals. (excluding mixed urban-rural seats like Thunder Bay-Atikokan or Peterborough).

Another issue that has to be raised, though, is Ottawa's abysmally low waste diversion rate. Last I heard, it was around 35%. In most other Ontario cities its above 50%, in Kingston it's 70%. I myself divert about 90% of my household waste by maximizing my use of recycling bins & green bins.

Maybe Ottawa is too generous with its garbage allotments? Correct me if I'm wrong, but in Ottawa you can put out six bags of garbage for free with each collection which happens every 2 weeks. In Kingston, garbage is collected weekly, but you can only put out one bag for free. Furthermore, Ottawans seem to hate green bins, but in Kingston on pickup day you'll see almost every single house putting out their green bin.

Until Ottawa and its people get serious about recycling & green-bin-ing, its a bit hypocritical of us to complain about dumps.

[rocketphish]

Company files rezoning application for new Carp Road landfill

By Matthew Pearson, OTTAWA CITIZEN April 1, 2014 6:13 PM

OTTAWA — Waste Management Inc. has filed a rezoning application to expand its Carp Road commercial landfill.

The company’s environmental assessment was approved by the Ministry of the Environment in September but now it needs the city to sign off on a technical zoning change to allow it actually open a landfill.

Waste Management wants to rezone land on Carp Road that is adjacent to its existing site, which is just off Hwy. 417 west of the Canadian Tire Centre.

The landfill, which takes garbage from private hauling companies that collect it from businesses and public institutions, is slated to accept 400,000 tonnes of trash annually for 10 years. The project also includes waste diversion and recycling, composting, and renewable energy facilities.

The company says the design of the new landfill will meet provincial requirements, including a double-liner design, leachate and gas collection systems, and monitoring to ensure long-term protection of air, groundwater and surface water.

It will reach a maximum height of about 33 metres and will be set back about 365 metres from Carp Road and 118 metres from William Mooney Road.

In its submission to the city, the company says the zoning amendment is consistent with the approved environmental assessment and conforms to the city’s Official Plan and with a provincial policy statement regarding a waste management facility in a rural area.

Because the province has approved the new landfill, all the city can really do now is to try to influence where things are located once a site plan has been submitted, said Coun. Marianne Wilkinson.

It can also make sure the company follows through on its plan to create an advisory committee of residents and councillors to ensure the company meets its obligations around odour and water protection.

“They may say that, but what we want to do is make sure they actually do it,” she said.

Eli El-Chantiry, whose West Carleton-March ward includes the landfill, said he met with the company about three weeks ago to raise a number of issues, including odour management, property values protection and a so-called good neighbours agreement that would see the landfill only accept garbage from neighbouring counties, not faraway municipalities.

“I don’t want to promise people something that cannot be delivered, and I’m hoping the company realizes they better have a good, clean operation,” he said.

Both councillors say they want to avoid previous issues around odour emitting from the new landfill once it is open.

Waste Management is holding an open house for the rezoning application on May 6, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at the Next Centre at 6400 Hazeldean Rd. in Stittsville.

The city will also likely hold its own information session, El-Chantiry said.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com">mpearson@ottawacitizen.com

Twitter.com/mpearson78
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen



http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ot...427/story.html

[rocketphish]

Carp dump rezoning reluctantly approved by committee

Carys Mills, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 3, 2014, Last Updated: July 3, 2014 7:07 PM EDT

Rezoning for the Carp landfill expansion was approved by the agriculture and rural affairs committee on Thursday.

Councillors lamented the province’s approval last September for the landfill, saying it forced them to accept that the dump will be expanded, and it’s now a matter of mitigating concerns as much as possible through a site plan and community liaison committee. Plans for Waste Management’s West Carleton Environmental Centre were approved by the province after an environmental assessment and public consultation.

“No one wants a landfill,” said Cumberland Coun. Stephen Blais, adding that’s especially so at a time when people in Ottawa are focusing on diverting garbage, not putting it in the ground.

But given the province has approved the plan, the chances of stopping the expansion is slim, he said.

“We are really at the mercy of the province,” said committee chair and Osgoode Coun. Doug Thompson.

Staff recommended approval of the rezoning to rural heavy industrial, with an exception to allow for a solid waste disposal facility as an allowed use. City planner Cheryl McWilliams told the committee concerns — including noise and odour impacts, traffic and aesthetics — can be dealt with at the site plan stage.

Several residents urged the committee to vote down the rezoning for the 37.8-hectare site, west of the Canadian Tire Centre and beside the old Carp Road dump, which closed in 2011.

Resident Marilyn Jenkins said it would be worth voting against rezoning and sending the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board.

“Fighting the good fight” would be worth it, she said, before the committee unanimously carried the rezoning recommendation, which will require final approval from council.

cmills@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/CarysMills



http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...d-by-committee

[rocketphish]

Orgaworld timeline: Seven years of composting and conflict

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 8, 2014, Last Updated: July 9, 2014 10:30 AM EDT

2007

Ottawa city council awards 20-year organics recycling contract to Orgaworld Canada Ltd. Slated to launch in the spring of 2009, the program is intended to increase the city’s waste diversion rate to 60 per cent by 2010. The contract calls for Orgaworld to process up to 100,000 tonnes a year, but company is guaranteed a minimum of 80 per cent of that total, or 80,000 tonnes. Although the price fluctuates with inflation, the contract is worth about $8 million annually. Only one councillor votes against the program as a waste of money.

2009

July: City says Ottawa’s organics recycling program won’t accept plastic bags and diapers. Green bins will accept food waste, leaf and yard waste, and other organic waste, such as paper towels, napkins, pizza boxes, Kitty Litter, and wood chips and sawdust.

October: Orgaworld appeals a Ministry of the Environment ban on accepting diapers, feminine sanitary products and plastic garbage bags at its Hawthorne Road facility; city fights appeal.

December: City announces Orgaworld facility won’t be ready to accept organic waste on Jan. 4, when green-bin program scheduled to start. Waste to be trucked to composting facilities in Kingston and Moose Creek until Hawthorne Road facility ready.

2010

January: Two hundred tonnes of organic waste collected and sent for composting in first week of green-bin program.

August: Fire crews called to the Orgaworld plant after staff reported seeing heavy smoke billowing from facility. Smouldering compost heap found but no open flames. No damage or injuries reported. Ottawa fire later says natural process of organic waste breaking down is caused fire.

December: City announces green-bin program diverts 53,000 tonnes of organic waste from the landfill in first year (but is still obligated to pay for 80,000 tonnes). Taxpayers are on the hook for that unused capacity, which is the key thing that makes the contract so controversial.

2011

January: Newly-minted environment committee chair Maria McRae calls on city’s Auditor General Alain Lalonde to look into Orgaworld contract.

February: City and Orgaworld enter commercial arbitration regarding dispute over how much leaf and yard waste can be processed at Orgaworld facility.

April: City council votes to implement bi-weekly garbage collection and weekly green bin collection, to take effect Nov. 2012.

November: Province rules Ottawa green bins can accept diapers, dog feces and compostables in plastic bags. Orgaworld contract with the city prevents the company from accepting those materials without city permission, which it doesn’t have, so those items remain banned.

2012

April: City says 55,060 tonnes of organic waste collected in 2011 and sent to Orgaworld — an increase from 2010.

October: Auditor General Lalonde announces that the audit into the city’s contract with Orgaworld would be delayed (it was originally due in Nov. 2012). Key issue is how city staff negotiated that 80,000-tonne figure and whether it was a reasonable expectation that Ottawa would reach that in a timely manner.

2013

February: City says 55,420 tonnes of organic waste collected in 2012 and sent to Orgaworld.

May: Orgaworld turns away trucks full of 620 tonnes of leaf-and-yard waste at its processing facility even though city well below target of 80,000 tonnes of organic waste per year, which includes leaf-and-yard waste.

It was also revealed this month that the long-awaited audit of the Orgaworld contract would not be released until the commercial arbitration process is completed; estimated delay of at least six months.

2014

February: City says 69,000 tonnes of organic waste collected in 2013 and sent to Orgaworld; another 11,000 tonnes of organic waste taken to Trail Road waste facility.

July: Arbitrator dismisses Orgaworld’s $1.3-million claim against the city and rules in Ottawa’s favour on virtually every key question in its years-long dispute with Orgaworld, including the ability to include leaf-and-yard waste in the green-bin program.

Arbitrator’s ruling clears way for Wednesday’s release of long-awaited audit into city’s Orgaworld contract.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
mpearson78

[rocketphish]

Auditor says Orgaworld contract has $7M in 'unnecessary costs'

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 9, 2014, Last Updated: July 9, 2014 1:09 PM EDT

The controversial green-bin recycling contract with Orgaworld cost the city more than $7 million in unnecessary costs — and that figure could rise even higher in the coming years, auditor general Ken Hughes has found.

In 2008, the city entered into a 20-year contract with Orgaworld that was worth more than $140 million to handle between 80,000 and 100,000 tonnes of organic waste per year.

The contract was structured in such a way that the city had to pay for a minimum of 80,000 tonnes, even though that volume has never been reached.

The audit uncovered a number of problems, including:

• Fundamental errors leading up to the eventual contract, such as incorrectly interpreting green-bin pilot project data and failing to consider a ramp-up period for the contract;

• Failure on city management’s part to exercise due diligence in the process and failure to properly advise city council on the contract;
Missing documentation.

• The audit also makes 10 recommendations, including the consideration of terminating the Orgaworld contract and seeking other alternatives such as constructing a city-owned facility or a contract with another processor.

“We cannot lose sight that this project was built on a weak foundation,” Hughes said.

Ottawa has been paying a premium to send some of its leaf and yard waste to Orgaworld (which it can handle comparatively cheaply at the city landfill on Trail Road) on one hand while not being able to meet guaranteed volumes at the plant on the other, Hughes said.

“Together, these penalties to date total $7.7 million,” he said.

How city staff came to the 80,000-tonne minimum has never been known. That’s what prompted Hughes’ investigation in the first place. The audit was completed nearly two years ago, but the findings could not be released while the city was in an arbitration with Orgaworld over how some aspects of the contract should be interpreted.

The arbitrator’s ruling, released late last month, found in the city’s favour and cleared the way for the audit’s release.

Kent Kirkpatrick, the city manager, admitted that city managers didn’t do due diligence and provided information to council it should have.

More to come.

mpearson@ottawacitizen.com
mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...ecessary-costs

[J.OT13]

On the French news, they said that at Gatineau's rate (with a Cornwall company), we would have saved 30 million dollars.

Did we even have a competitive bid for this or was it just another sole source contract?

[S-Man]

On the French news, they said that at Gatineau's rate (with a Cornwall company), we would have saved 30 million dollars.

Did we even have a competitive bid for this or was it just another sole source contract?

Listen, buddy - it was the PREVIOUS council's decision (etc, etc), nobody who SCREWED UP ROYALLY still works with the city (and they'll never suffer the tiniest bit for costing residents millions), and besides, the contract's locked in and it would cost (possibly) even MORE cash to back out, (etc, etc), and never mind about the city manager's growing list of fuck-ups that are also costing millions (he'll never be fired and is the highest grossing bureaucrat in Ottawa), etc, etc......

......So feel good about this! It's barely even happening! In fact, it's so minor, that you'd have to be some sort of money-grubbing, tax-hating NUTBAR to be angry about this.

Now smile as you needlessly pay millions for less service thanks to unaccountable incompetence.

[YOWflier]

^ The force is strong in you.

The only problem is that you're assuming that the audience here actually pays property taxes in this city, and/or even cares about how much money is pissed away with this program because it's "for the environment".

[1overcosc]

The problem has nothing to do with green bins, it's about the complete incompetence of whoever negotiated the Orgaworld contract. My biggest fear with this whole mess is that people will take it as a damnation of the green bin concept itself Green bins are great and everybody should use them as much as possible. Ottawans seem to have this weird thing against recycling, we have one of the worst diversion rates in the province, and I hope this mess doesn't hinder efforts to correct this problem.

[IntoTheCore]

Originally Posted by S-Man

and besides, the contract's locked in and it would cost (possibly) even MORE cash to back out

From http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/0710-plastic, Kent Kirkpatrick believes it would cost $8 to $10 million to terminate the contract, while Orgaworld says it would cost $56 million.

[1overcosc]

The problem is that we're contracted for way more organic waste than we're actually producing right? How about we then partner with neighbouring municipalities to take in their organic waste? I know Clarence-Rockland is looking at green bins now. Maybe we can get them on board with our contract to help us out a bit.