Campbell Mountain Landfill in Penticton. Image: Google Maps
Lyonel Doherty
Aberdeen Publishing
While the regional district is moving ahead with a large, regional compost facility near Penticton, a smaller windrow site is still on track for Oliver.
Solid waste management coordinator for the Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) Cameron Baughen said they are waiting the announcement of a potential grant for the Oliver site.
He noted that smaller windrow composting sites for residential food and yard waste is the plan for landfills in Oliver, Summerland and Princeton.
Baughen said these facilities will cost more than a million dollars to build, but he noted the sites will result in less trucking of waste. It also keeps compost locally available for agriculturists and homeowners, he pointed out.
The coordinator stated the Oliver landfill could accept residential-only food waste from Oliver, Osoyoos, Areas A and C and the Osoyoos Indian Band.
As a point of interest, a new weigh scale is being constructed at the Oliver landfill.
Baughen said the larger, regional indoor facility the board is looking at is near Campbell Mountain Landfill in Penticton. This site would handle residential and commercial food waste from the region, including Oliver and Osoyoos.
Commercial food waste is very stinky as there is a lot of it and it is not mixed with yard waste, Baughen said.
“If we can find the right property, a centralized facility near Penticton has been found to be the most cost-effective way to handle the region’s commercial food waste and have the necessary odour control.”
A previous study identified Campbell Mountain Landfill as the preferred site over Okanagan Falls.
Baughen noted the price tag will be in the “tens of millions of dollars.” Total capital costs for the project are expected to be $17 million plus land costs.
If a grant application is successful, the regional district’s cost will be $3 million.
On Thursday, the board also voted to submit an application to the Agricultural Land Commission for the exclusion of lands required for the facility.
Regional board chair Karla Kozakevich said the facility will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nuisance odours.
The regional district reports that food waste and other organic material accounts for approximately 40 per cent of waste going to landfills.
On Jan. 9 the RDOS board voted in favour of applying for a grant to construct an in-vessel organic food, yard and biosolid waste (waste water treatment sludge) composting facility near Campbell Mountain Landfill in Penticton. The RDOS board also supported a staff proposal to submit an application to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) for exclusion of lands required for the facility, and to proceed with the land purchase once the land is compliant.
“There are several advantages to building a composting facility near Campbell Mountain Landfill,” said Karla Kozakevich, RDOS board chair. “The proposed facility will reduce costs, extend the life of the landfill, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nuisance odours.”
Previous studies estimate a curbside food collection program could potentially divert 26 per cent of the total waste stream.
On Sept. 19, 2019 the RDOS board authorized staff to pursue a compost siting study.
“A number of recent events have increased the opportunity and urgency to establish a composting facility. Specifically, a new grant program has become available that could fund food waste diversion, and the proposed organics composting facility,” states a press release from the RDOS.
