Regional directors to grapple with next steps regarding regional composting facility

PENTICTON – As the year ends, it’s back to the drawing board for the regional district as staff continue to grapple with the issue of finding a suitable site for a regional composting facility.

Solid Waste Coordinator Cameron Baughen describes the history of the regional district’s search for a suitable site in a discussion paper, noting a multi-year study resulted in two sites selected out of six possibilities.

One site, on Marron Valley Road, was rejected by directors and the other, at the Summerland landfill, was rejected by Summerland council.

That leaves four possible sites, but each has odour and transportation issues.

In the case of the Oliver landfill as a potential site, Baughen says the facility lacks the size needed to host a regional composting facility, and is better suited to handle organics from Oliver, Osoyoos and Electoral Areas “A” and “C.”

Baughen warns directors of the consequences of failing to find and develop a suitable composting site, saying landfills will fill up faster and produce more methane gas. The lack of a facility also runs counter to a proposal to use biocover at the Campbell Mountain landfill rather than a much more expensive landfill gas capture system required by the province.

Baughen says if directors should select another site for consideration, another feasibility study will be necessary, looking at composting not only food waste, but wastewater treatment sludge from Penticton, Summerland, Keremeos and Okanagan Falls as well.

The discussion paper is slated for presentation to the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen at the board’s inaugural 2018 meeting on Jan. 4.

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