Sludge Watch ==> Ontario approves expansion of London Landfill - Toronto sludge may go there?

[Maureen Reilly]

June 30, 2006



 T.O. SLUDGE LONDON-BOUND?

 

 BY ZEN RURYK, CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF, TORONTO SUN NEWSPAPER

 



Toronto officials are eyeing a London-area dump that received approval to expand dramatically as they search for a place to dispose of treated sewage sludge.

Carleton Farms Landfill in Michigan has determined it will no longer take 160,000 tonnes of Toronto's treated sewage sludge annually, effective Aug. 1. 

Yesterday city council gave civic officials the okay to negotiate a deal with a dump operator to take the sludge.

Councillor Shelley Carroll, the works committee chairman, said officials will look at several options, including Green Lane Environmental's dump near London, Ont.

"Obviously they have to with that amount of capacity," she said.

This week the provincial government decreed the privately owned Green Lane landfill can take an additional 10 million tonnes of garbage, increasing its capacity to 14 million tonnes.

Carroll said city officials were aware of the application to expand the dump.

"We knew it was imminent, but we didn't know it would be there by Aug. 1. So this is very helpful, very helpful," she said.

Toronto now ships about 900,000 tonnes of waste, including the sewage sludge, to Michigan each year.

There are concerns that the border will close to trucks carrying trash from Ontario as opposition within Michigan mounts against accepting out-of-state garbage.

Carroll noted the Green Lane dump could handle all Toronto's waste -- biosolids (sewage sludge) and solid waste -- for 10 years.

Many Londoners have concerns about the safety of the trucks that would haul Toronto's trash, London Councillor Susan Eagle said. There are also worries about the road congestion that would accompany a decision to truck Toronto's garbage to the dump, she said.

At Queen's Park opposition MPPs dumped all over the McGuinty Liberals for approving expansion of the Green Lane site.

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory said McGuinty should have required the GTA to come up with a plan to handle its own garbage.



-- With files from Sun Media  
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