Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee to meet with municipal leaders on proposed waste management system for Avalon

The Greater Avalon Regional Waste Management Committee announced today that the committee will be holding a meeting at the Star of the Sea Hall in Placentia on Friday, September 24 at 2:00 p.m. on the proposed new waste management system for the Greater Avalon Region- from St. John�s to Clarenville.

Municipal leaders from Placentia, the Cape Shore and St. Mary�s Bay and from all around that part of the Avalon Peninsula are invited to meet with the committee to discuss the proposed new system. AMEC Earth and Environmental Group, the consulting firm recently hired to do an environmental assessment of the proposed system, will be in attendance to hear people�s views and suggestions.

The chair of the committee, Dr. Melvin Regular, says "Newfoundland and Labrador lags well behind other provinces in waste management, and the committee is anxious to meet with municipal leaders to discuss the merits of this project and how to ensure it will meet their needs."

The committee consists of 15 members from municipalities, industry and the environmental sector throughout the region. Melvin Regular chairs the committee. Committee members are: Mayor Tom Osbourne - Town of Arnold�s Cove; Mayor Don Coombs � Town of Harbour Grace; Mayor Fred Best - Town of Clarenville; Councilor Shannie Duff � City of St. John�s; Councilor Lucy Stoyles - City of Mount Pearl; Mayor Bride McLennon - Town of Placentia; Mayor Ron Smith - Town of Conception Bay South; Mayor Leo Moriarty - Town of Ferryland; Councilor Bern Hickey - Town of Avondale; Mr. Sam Stack - Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities; Mr. Rodney Cumby - Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Municipal Administrators; Mr. Baxter Rose - Province of Newfoundland and Labrador; Mr. Charlie Riggs - Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Industry Association; Ms. Linda Whalen � Centre for Long-Term Environmental Action.

The new system will consist of a materials recovery facility, a commercial indoor composting operation and an engineered landfill. There will also be a network of six transfer stations located throughout the Avalon Peninsula. The proposed regional waste management site is Dog Hill, approximately three kilometres west of the Foxtrap Interchange and three kilometres south of the Trans Canada Highway.

The Greater Avalon Region has a population of 268,000 people, or more than half the total population of the province. The mission of the committee is to provide leadership in the implementation of environmentally-responsible waste management practices and the development of a comprehensive system for handling solid waste from households, institutions, businesses and industry. The new system will promote waste reduction and recycling and will provide new economic and business opportunities in the region. It will also help keep our environment beautiful and protect our health and the health of our children for generations to come.

Media contact: Dr. Melvin Regular, (709) 745-7112

2004 09 22                   11:20 a.m.