Pender Harbour/Egmont residents filled the Madeira Park Legion hall June 13 for a public meeting on the future of the Pender Harbour landfill.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) is weighing its options for the future of the landfill, which is nearly full and will not be allowed by the province to take any more solid waste after 2010 or early 2011.
Area A director Eric Graham and manager of sustainable services Dion Whyte presented attendees with the options and process that must be followed and stressed that no decision would be made without consultation.
The options on the table include expanding the western portion of the landfill for another 16 years with a total cost of $15.5 million over its lifespan for capital, operating and closure costs. The second option involves expanding the northern part of the landfill for 29 more years with a total cost of $14.66 million over its lifespan for capital and operating costs and significant environmental work. The third option is closing the landfill and replacing it with a transfer station and shipping trash to the Sechelt landfill where the SCRD is in the process of setting up a greenhouse gas capture system to reduce emissions. The third option is projected to cost between $12 and $14 million depending on whether the waste is compacted first.
Whyte said the SCRD board will use the "triple bottom line" when weighing options, meaning it will consider financial, environmental and social implications when making a decision.
The SCRD's numbers on greenhouse gases indicate, even with trucking, that the Coast's greenhouse gas output from solid waste could be reduced by 50 per cent if the third option is chosen.
Consensus of area residents seemed to be strongly on the side of expanding the landfill for another 16 years and further extending its life by drastically expanding recycling.
One of the most vocal opponents to the SCRD potentially closing the Pender Harbour landfill was Howard White, former operator of the landfill.
White said he opposed further SCRD control over Area A solid waste, adding more trucks to the highway and increasing solid waste costs for Area A residents for the benefit of the other elector areas.
"I think a good solution is to give us another 16 years in Pender Harbour, working closely with the people who run the landfill now and with our excellent, excellent GRIPS recycling group. We could really accelerate our movement towards zero-waste. As far as I can tell from everything I've read, this kind of project works better the more local it is," he said.
His questions and points were frequently met with applause from attendees.
Graham closed the meeting pledging to represent the wishes of his constituents at the board table when it comes time to vote.
"Obviously, this is a unique community," he said. "Who else wants to keep their own damned garbage?"
