Councillors in Gibsons have approved a contract with Salish Soils of Sechelt to compost biosolids from the Town’s sewer treatment plant.
The contract, which begins Dec. 1, eliminates the need to send the material off-Coast, which the Town has been doing since Lehigh stopped accepting the material at its gravel mine site in late 2016.
In a report to council, director of finance David Douglas said the cost of shipping biosolids to various locations, including Squamish, Richmond, and Pemberton, has been steadily climbing and is expected to top $200,000 for this year.
Douglas said the contract with Salish Soils will come in at around $125,000 a year, and it will bring a few environmental benefits such as cutting the carbon footprint from trucking.
Mayor Wayne Rowe acknowledged the work Town staff did in negotiating the new contract, and in trying to find companies to accept the biosolids while there was no local option.
“It’s been a tough one for our staff for the last year just dealing with this,” he said.
