A regional compost facility will not be constructed at the Summerland landfill.
On Monday, council voted 6-1 to reject the proposal. As a result, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen must now find another location for its regional compost facility.
The proposed compost facility was not well-loved in any community where it was presented.
The facility would be expensive to construct, with a price tag of between $15 and $21 million to build. With such a cost, the facility must be viewed as something permanent.
While many throughout the regional district are in support of composting, few if any wanted a facility of this nature near their homes.
The potential impacts, especially for those living near a regional compost facility, could be significant.
The concerns included the possibility of odours from the facility and additional traffic from trucks hauling materials to the site. These concerns were raised in Summerland and also by residents of Marron Valley, a site earlier proposed for the facility.
In Summerland, an additional concern was the possibility of leachate from the site contaminating the community’s water supply.
Each of these factors could have huge effects on the community.
Since the Summerland proposal was introduced earlier this year, residents had spoken out in opposition. Some posted signs, others wrote letters and many signed petitions opposing the concept.
This level of opposition cannot be ignored.
Now that Summerland has said no to the compost facility, the regional district must find a new location.
As has already been seen, a proposed facility near residential developments will not be well received. It would be difficult if not impossible to present a compost facility nearby residents would embrace.
The challenge now is to find a location, possibly one far from any homes, where a regional compost facility could be located.