Residents rally against proposed compost site

Residents rally against proposed compost site

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By: Jay Gutteridge

If Walker Industries wants to put a compost site in Dunkerron, it’s going to face a lot of opposition from area residents.

That message was sent loud and clear Monday night at the Schomberg Community and Agricultural Arena, where the auditorium was filled with people for the Gateway to Simcoe Community Association meeting.

The association formed to oppose Walker’s proposed compost site.

“I want to leave the thought that composting is a good thing,” Tom Allen, a speaker at the meeting, said.

The association opposes locating the compost facility in Dunkerron, but not the facility itself, he said.

Walker Industries proposes locating the facility at the southwest corner of County Road 27 and the 3rd Line, on land owned by Hermanns Contracting Limited.

 Hermanns is Walker’s biggest contractor and its site is just south of the proposed compost site.

“A relationship between two innovative family businesses,Hermanns Contracting Limited and Walker Industries, may provide a solution to Simcoe’s compost needs and provide environmental benefits across Ontario,” reads a website about the proposed facility.

However, Gateway to Simcoe said the facility would ruin prime agricultural land, create odour and noise pollution, attract pests, increase traffic, possibly contaminate the water table and decrease property values.

The proposed site is 60.75 hectares and would have a maximum capacity of 40,000 tonnes of waste. It would be phased in, according to Walker’s website, initially being constructed for a capacity of 20,000 tonnes, mainly to accept waste from Simcoe County.

The association brought in a guest speaker, Richard Zeliznak, to talk about his experience living near a Walker Industries compost site in Thorold.

“When you have a compost pile gone bad, it’s really one of the worst things you ever want to face,” he said of the smell the facility creates.

However, he said that situation might be improved through new technology.

The compost facility in Thorold uses a windrow system, meaning the compost is stacked in uncovered piles.

However, Walker is proposing to use the GORE Cover system at the facility in Dunkerron. In this system, the piles are covered and Walker’s website claims it provides up to a 97 per cent reduction in odour emissions compared with windrow composting.

“The GORE process may be the solution to the odours,” Mr. Zeliznak said, noting there’s no guarantee Walker would implement the technology.

Even if Walker uses the GORE system in Dunkerron, the proposed site is still wrong for the facility, he said, noting it is far too visible.

“The site selection shouldn’t be done by the applicant; it should be done by an expert,” he said.

Residents near the Thorold site initially thought the waste would only come from the Niagara region, Mr. Zeliznak said, but the site then began accepting trucks from Toronto.

The truck traffic created a major dust problem, he said, arguing roads that are going to handle such traffic need paved shoulders with rumble strips to warn drivers when they’re veering off the road.

Mr. Zeliznak warned Bradford West Gwillimbury council about approving the Walker Industries proposal on the Dunkerron site.

“It’s easy to approve it, but it’s almost impossible to retract it,” he said.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Ward 3 Councillor John McCallum attended the meeting and addressed the crowd.

“The site is incorrect,” he said of the proposal. “That’s class oneagricultural land. (The facility) doesn’t belong there.”

He said he’s contacted Walker to propose other sites in the municipality, but hasn’t received a response.

However, Mr. McCallum drew heckles from the audience when he asked people to take down their “No dump” signs. He argued the compost facility is good for the environment and not a traditional dump.

“A dump, is a dump, is a dump,” Pat O’Donnell, a speaker later in the evening, said.

“(Posting signs) indicates solidarity; it shows our discontent and it’s annoying people,” he said, getting a cheer from the audience.

Several audience members raised concerns about the proposed facility.

One questioned how a facility in the southwest corner of Simcoe County could serve the county well, adding he suspected the site will accept waste from Toronto. Another wondered how a compost facility would affect the water table.
Walker Industries has not yet brought the proposal to Bradford West Gwillimbury’s planning department.

For more information on the proposed compost facility,visit Walker Industries’ website atwww.dunkerroncompost.com or the Gateway to Simcoe County Association website at www.stopthedump.ca.

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