Councillor looks to change rules on temporary recycling facilities
Posted Mar 1, 2021 11:59 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – They’ve been popping up more often, and one Calgary city councillor is worried.
Ward 12 Councillor Shane Keating will present a notice of motion Monday, calling for municipal regulation of temporary recycling facilities.
Keating said they are supposed to be transfer depots, but on some sites, the waste is piling up.
“All of this waste is being collected and stored in a site and not being transferred to these other ones because either the tonnage fees at the landfill or what the recyclers actually pay to get their material recycled is higher than them putting it on this piece of land and dumping it there and just letting it sit.”
Keating said his office has fielded many complaints from residents and businesses saying debris has blown onto their property from large stockpiles of waste and recycling.
He added landowners say they’re unable to rent their properties due to these sites.
The facilities store everything from construction waste to even packing and shipping off hazardous medical material.
“As it stands now there are no regulations which allow the city to enforce different operations like having a bond to make sure that if the company closes doors and walks away, who’s going to clean up the site,” said Keating.
Keating is worried about possible environmental damage, fire hazards, and what might happen if the city is left holding the bag on cleanup costs.
His notice of motion is recommending that the city administration appoint an Officer to lead a specific workgroup to address possible solutions to this issue. They include creating a strategy to ensure these sites align with all fire codes, pile heights and environmental rules.
Currently, these temporary facilities do not have clear operating standards enforced by either the provincial or municipal government.
