With ever-increasing pressures on landfill sites like the one at Prince Albert, the R.M. of Birch Hills is mulling a proposal for a large regional non-hazardous landfill cell south of Highway 3. (File photo/paNOW Staff) 

By Glenn Hicks

waste management

R.M. of Birch Hills ponders large waste landfill proposal

Aug 26, 2019 | 2:19 PM

The R.M. of Birch Hills could decide as early as next month whether or not to approve a proposed large waste landfill site in pastureland south of the Branspeth turn off on Highway 3.

Many local residents are not happy about the idea and have signed a petition on noise, traffic and environmental concerns. The reeve said his council would have to weigh the net benefits and concerns before making a decision, possibly at its next meeting.

The proponent for the commercial non-hazardous municipal solid waste landfill is Greenland Waste. They intend to transfer waste collected from all over the North Central Saskatchewan area to the site. An estimated six garbage trucks per day would travel a grid road to the site, although there may be more than that at busy times. The company has promised the state-of-the-art landfill would be designed, built and operated according to Alberta Standards.

Public concerns

However, following a public meeting on the proposal last week that saw up to 150 people attend, a group has coordinated the signing of a petition of nearly 90 signatures from local landowners. While no one from the group was prepared to be identified for this story, one of them told paNOW they had concerns about noise from the garbage trucks, the increased traffic and worries for bird life in the area.

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“The area they’ve picked: the wildlife, the birds and the closeness to a lake there are problems,” they said. “And the size of the area they’re going to be hauling garbage from, would you want this in your back yard? One person asked me if I was a ‘Nimby’ (Not In My Back Yard), and I said ‘no, I just don’t want a landfill anywhere near me.’”

The petitioner added they saw no one speak in favour of the project at the public meeting.

Reeve of the R.M. of Birch Hills Alan Evans, said his council would have a tough decision to make, possibly at their next scheduled meeting, which is Sept. 11.

Potential benefits

“Nothing is in writing but they [Greenland Waste] have talked about a preferential cost regarding the collection of waste for the municipality,” he told paNOW. He added the location would not be visible and the company would have to address issues like potential noise.

“There’s trees surrounding the whole thing except for the north side and they said they planned to develop a shelter belt on the north side,” Evans said.

Evans acknowledged the petition and letters of concern he’d received, but added the R.M. had also received support for the project from other residents and said some who were supportive may not have felt comfortable coming forward at the public meeting.

Reduced waste service rates would also be offered to the Town of Birch Hills, R.M. of Invergordon (which Evans said was nearing its landfill capacity) and other hamlets in the area.

“Municipal waste has to go somewhere,” he said, pointing to the increasing pressures on Prince Albert’s landfill which may need an expansion in the coming years at the cost of millions of dollars.

Asked how the R.M. of Birch Hill’s council would come to its final decision, Evans added they had commissioned a specialist third party engineering firm to look at the plans and to consider the public feedback.

“Those people were at the meeting, taking notes and we’ve forwarded all the letters of opposition to them,” Evans said. “They’ll report back to us and that will guide and help us.”

paNOW contacted Curtis West, the president of Greenland Waste. He said last week’s public meeting “went as I expected. Obviously there was a group who support the project and others who had comments, questions and concerns.”

He said he would hold any further comment until he had heard back from the R.M. if they were going to proceed with the proposal.

—

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow