Recycler wants to ship smelly waste to Ottawa

CBC News July 12, 2010
Green bin material from other cities may be shipped to Ottawa. (CBC) The temporary closure of an organics recycling plant in southwestern Ontario could have an impact on Ottawa.
Orgaworld has voluntarily shut down operations at its London, Ont., facility while it performs upgrades to deal with a serious odour problem. The plant accepts and disposes of dirty diapers, pet waste and rotting garbage in plastic bags.
“The smell could range anywhere from being a fairly light drifting just obnoxious smell to a rancid smell that just makes you want to gag,” London resident Alan Tipping said back in May when asked to describe the odour.
With that plant closed, other cities, including Toronto, are having to look for options. So Orgaworld, a unit of British-headquartered Shanks Group, is seeking changes to its environmental certificate of approval to allow it to ship that type of waste to Ottawa.
Ward Janssens, Orgaworld’s manager of international operations, said the problems that plagued the London operation won’t recur in Ottawa.
“Although of course waste in plastic bags can be more odorous, these type of facilities should be able to deal with it. So it’s about process, and it’s not about the waste,” said Janssens.
But not every one’s so confident.
Alta Vista councillor Peter Hume spearheaded Ottawa’s green bin program — now he’s leading the fight to keep unwanted waste out.
“We’re doing everything the right way, and that’s why we’ve been fighting so hard to keep the program like this,” Hume said.
The issue is now in the hands of the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal. If the tribunal sides with Orgaworld, the Ottawa plant could soon start accepting diapers, pet waste and plastic bags from other cities.