Taro dump gets OK for incinerator ash Clark slams ‘unaccountable’ ministry approval process
By Richard Leitner, News Staff / Oct 31, 2008
Stoney Creek Councillor Brad Clark says he sees no point in appealing a decision by the Ministry of the Environment to allow the Newalta Taro dump to accept incinerator ash.
While the ruling was only made public last week, Newalta received approval on Sept. 29 — 10 days after the site’s newly formed community liaison committee urged the ministry to reject the company’s application for the waste.
City council and citizens group Environment Hamilton also opposed the application, which removes a prohibition on incinerator ash in the dump’s original 1996 licence conditions.
Mr. Clark said he won’t even try to convince council to spend money on an appeal by a Nov. 4 deadline because the city is cash-strapped and chances of success are “slim and none.”
He blamed an approval process that he said places decision-making power in ministry bureaucrats and lets provincial politicians evade responsibility.
“They say, ‘We have no role in this, we have depoliticized the system.’ Well, depoliticizing the system is a euphemism for making it unaccountable,” Mr. Clark said
“Companies are getting certificates of approval after a comprehensive and complex and thorough environmental assessment process, and then they can amend the C of A at whim after the fact with the director’s signature.”
But Newalta regional manager Michael Jovanovic said his company’s analysis found incinerator ash will have no impact on the site, including the leachate it pumps into the sewer.
As part of the approval, Newalta must maintain controls to “mitigate and minimize” dust from ash.
Mr. Jovanovic said dust won’t be an issue because the ash will either be used to neutralize or solidify other wastes, or be pretreated with the company’s “Ecosafe” process if necessary to render it non-hazardous.
The later essentially binds toxins with cement.
Mr. Jovanovic said he’s been unable to find any evidence Taro’s original owner, Philip Services Corp., agreed to exclude incinerator ash “forever and a day.”
The prohibition likely stemmed from concerns about accepting ash from the city’s notorious and since-demolished SWARU incinerator, he said.
“There is a mechanism in place for making amendments to permits,” Mr. Jovanovic said.
“The opportunities are there to make application. As long as you’ve got the justification for it, you can make those changes.”
In granting approval, the ministry decision acknowledged but rejected council’s concerns about breaking any agreement with Philip.
“Provided that the incinerator (ash) is non-hazardous, the Ministry sees no reason to refuse Newalta’s request at this time,” the ruling states.
The ministry also dismissed concerns by Environment Hamilton that Taro could take up to 86,000 tonnes of ash per year from the proposed Liberty Energy sewage-sludge incinerator.
The citizens group also requested two new licence conditions to force Newalta to address odour complaints and limit the height of waste piles at the dump.
All were rejected as being beyond the scope of the application.
Environment Hamilton executive director Lynda Lukasik called the ministry decision “a missed opportunity” to deal with ongoing complaints about odour and the visibility of waste piles that can contribute to dust problems.
The ministry ruled out odour as an issue because Taro “is not approved to receive putrescible or domestic waste.”
“It was almost to say, ‘We don’t allow stuff that smells to get into the landfill, so what’s your problem?’” Ms. Lukasik said.
“Something’s going on because we’re hearing from people that there is an odour problem and I know people have been calling in complaints into the district office of the ministry, so they would be very aware of that fact as well.”
Ms. Lukasik said Environment Hamilton is also concerned that ash may not remain non-hazardous once in the site, but agrees an appeal has faint hopes of success.
She said her group may instead apply for a review of the dump’s licence conditions to force the ministry to respond to all issues raised.
“It puts us in the driver’s seat,” she said.
Mr. Jovanovic said Newalta does its best to mitigate any odours and is in the process of raising berms around the site to reduce visibility of waste piles.
“We’ve started addressing it, absolutely,” he said.
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