Regional council accepts list of potential waste facility sites

Regional

York Regional council recently accepted a list of five potential sites in the Durham/York Residual Waste Environmental Assessment Study.

Four of the sites are in Durham Region and one in York, on Region-owned land near Davis Drive and Highway 404 in East Gwillimbury. They will be considered for an energyfrom waste facility to manage York and Durham's residual waste.

"York Region is committed to a sustainable, safe and cost-effective 'made in York and Durham Regions' solution to deal with the garbage that is left over after our diversion efforts," said York Chairman Bill Fisch. "This approved short list of proposed sites brings us an important step closer to completing this multi-year project and having our own state-of-theart energy-from-waste facility."

"York Region is dedicated to maximizing our recycling, composting and re-use efforts before sending waste to a new facility," said Vaughan Councillor Mario Ferri, chair of the solid waste committee of regional council. "Last fall, council committed to diverting 65 per cent of waste from landfill by 2010 and this facility and its capacity will be designed to reflect that commitment."

The four sites in Durham Region are in the Town of Clarington.

The five sites were recommended by the study's consultants and approved for public consultation at Durham Regional Council the day before York council dealt with the issue.

"It is imperative that more information be brought forward regarding the five sites in Durham and York Region," commented East Gwillimbury Mayor James Young. "Our communities need to know how and why these locations have been determined."

Further studies on all five potential sites will occur throughout the spring and summer and a preferred site will be recommended to York and Durham councils in September.

E n e rg y - f r o m - w a s t e plants, or thermal facilities, have been proven to operate safely around the world, including in Europe, Asia, the United States and in nearby Brampton.

The entire cost for this project, including planning, engineering and construction of the facility, is approximately $250 million. This amount will be shared by both York and Durham.

York partnered with Durham in 2005 on the Durham/York Residual Waste Environmental Assessment Study to find a way to manage solid waste remaining after diversion efforts, such as re-using, recycling and composting.

In June 2006, thermal treatment with energy recovery was recommended as the preferred technology for managing residual waste (the waste left over after diversion efforts).

In the fall, the study team finalized the evaluation and screening criteria for potential sites for the facility and began searching in both Regions.

This process also included a public call for willing sellers where any party interested in proposing a privately-owned site for a potential new facility could submit their proposal.

For more information on the Durham/York Residual Waste Environmental Assessment Study, visit the study's Web site at www.durhamyorkwaste.ca or call the study's hotline toll-free at 1-866-398-4423.