Sludge Watch ==> Toronto food waste causes Oshawa to stink - Courtice Auto Wreckers

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Lets see .... mountains of stinky papermill sludge in decomposing mountains 
in the Ontario hinterland....Who is to blame: Courtice Auto Wreckers

Sewage sludge kills off a field of hay in Durham Region....who put it on?  
Courtice Auto Wreckers

Sludge illegally stored in a gravel pit in Clarington?  ... Courtice Auto 
Wreckers

Paper sludge at a leaf and yard waste site....Courtice Auto Wreckers

Leaf and yard waste site catches fire twice in two months and burns for 
days....Courtice Auto Wreckers

Paper sludge placed illegally at the Kawartha Downs Race Track...Who?... 
Courtice Auto Wreckers.

Now ....Toronto food waste stinking up Oshawa....  Who? Who could it be?


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http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/news/oshawa/article/95799

Stinky compost facility not Durham Region’s responsibility
Mon Mar 24, 2008

By: By Reka Szekely


DURHAM -- The Region of Durham can do little about a smell emanating from a 
composting site on Thornton Road in Oshawa other than to raise a stink about 
the issue, councillors heard at Wednesday’s works committee meeting.

The site is owned by Courtice Auto Wreckers and has been the subject of 
complaints from residents in the area.

Oshawa Councillor John Neal brought the issue to the committee. Fellow 
Oshawa Councillor Brian Nicholson suggested suspending the shipment of 
Durham materials to the site and writing to neighbouring municipalities 
suggesting they do the same, until the issue is resolved. He described the 
smell as noxious.

“This is just the middle of winter. Can you imagine what it’s going to be 
like when the warmer weather gets here,” he said.

However, Cliff Curtis, commissioner of works for the Region, said Durham 
does not have a contract with the site’s owners; they’re a subcontractor of 
Waste Management. Once Waste Management picks up the waste, it’s their 
property.

Mr. Curtis said trying to put conditions on the Region’s contract with Waste 
Management or urging others to do so could create a legal problem and the 
Region’s solicitor confirmed that opinion. The site is licensed by the 
Ministry of the Environment.

In the past, some of the yard leaf and yard waste from Clarington went 
there. Though Toronto sends green bin waste to the facility, no kitchen 
waste from Durham ends up there.

To deal with the situation, Mr. Curtis said councillors could contact the 
MOE directly since the ministry works based on complaints.

After further discussion, committee members agreed to instead write a letter 
expressing their concerns and forward it to local Members of Provincial 
Parliament, the MOE and the municipalities involved.

Whitby Councillor Gerry Emm promised to bring the issue to the attention of 
his council.

“I think the Town of Whitby and the City of Oshawa can come up with the type 
of request to urge the owner to take a look at his operation and see how he 
could resolve it,” he said.

“Thanks very much, I appreciate the help from the Town of Whitby because the 
smell knows no borders,” responded Coun. Neal.

Earlier this week an MOE representative said they’re taking action on the 
issue and have met with the owners and ordered them to stop accepting waste 
until they comply with ministry requirements.

-- With files from Jillian Follert



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http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/news/oshawa/article/95802

Smell should be gone soon

City councillor suggests closing Oshawa’s border to outside waste
Mon Mar 24, 2008

By Jillian Follert

Related Stories
Stinky compost facility not Durham Region’s responsibility
OSHAWA -- Officials at a local compost facility say a sickening smell that’s 
had north Oshawa residents holding their noses since December should be gone 
in the next two weeks.

Northwood Recycling and Energy, located on Thornton Road, opened a compost 
facility in December 2007, where green bin waste from the City of Toronto is 
processed.

Manager Micheal Dennis says the site’s biofilter -- a device that prevents 
odours from escaping -- isn’t working properly.

“We’re going to stop bringing in the organics from Toronto, then it should 
take about 16 days to process what we have here,” he said in an interview 
last Thursday. “After that, we’re going to take down the biofilter and 
re-engineer it to bring it into compliance with what the Ministry wants.”

Earlier this month, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) got involved in 
the situation after fielding complaints from residents, who say the smell is 
causing breathing problems, abdominal pain and nausea.

MOE officials met with Northwood owner Harvey (Skip) Ambrose on March 3 and 
instructed him to stop accepting waste and fix the biofilter.     Ministry 
spokeswoman Kate Jordan said the fix won’t be immediate, but she said she’s 
confident the ball is rolling now.

“They have a contract with the City (of Toronto) to accept their organic 
waste, so they had to contact them to make other arrangements first,” Ms. 
Jordan said Thursday. “We anticipate they will stop receiving waste by the 
end of this week.”

The MOE will keep monitoring the situation to ensure the proper repairs are 
done, she said, noting there are other “compliance tools” that can be used 
if problems continue.

Mr. Dennis said he is concerned about the problems the biofilter has caused, 
adding the company’s new indoor compost facility was meant to eliminate 
odour problems often associated with outdoor compost sites.

“We’re not here to cause discomfort to our neighbours,” he said. “If we 
can’t get this right, we won’t do it.”

That’s good news for local politicians who are dealing with dozens of calls 
from disgusted residents.

“I’m shocked that we have a facility where they’re pretty much boiling 
garbage, right in the middle of the City and in the fastest growing part of 
Durham Region,” said Councillor Tito-Dante Marimpietri, whose residents in 
Ward 4 have been hit hard by the smell.

He is trying to organize a meeting with MOE officials, local politicians and 
the facility’s owner to ensure something similar won’t happen down the road.

If a long-term solution can’t be guaranteed, Coun. Marimpietri said he will 
look into drastic measures, like closing Oshawa’s borders to outside waste.

“Other places ask for their borders to be closed to others’ waste and it’s 
only right that we should have that option too,” he said.