NLIS 4
June 14, 2005
(Environment and Conservation)
Funding approved for
Harbour Grace incinerator site clean-up
Tom Osborne, Minister of Environment
and Conservation, and John Scott, chair and CEO of the
Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB), announced today that
$200,000 has been approved under the Newfoundland and Labrador Waste
Management Trust Fund to clean up the former Harbour Grace
incinerator site.
Minister Osborne said the funding will ensure a proper environmental
clean up at the former incinerator site. "This is a significant and
necessary investment for clean-up work at the former Harbour Grace
incinerator site," added the minister. "I am pleased that we have
been able to secure funding through MMSB to bring the final phase of
its permanent closure to a successful conclusion in an
environmentally responsible manner."
The $200,000 has been awarded to the Town of Harbour Grace and will
be used to remove a number of structures at the site and clean up
the grounds, including removing all large metal debris. The site
will then be regraded to enhance the natural drainage in the area
and allow it to blend into the surrounding topography.
Mr. Scott noted that the Provincial Waste Management Strategy
embraces a regional approach to managing solid waste in Newfoundland
and Labrador and has targeted a reduction in the number of waste
disposal sites by 80 per cent to achieve this goal. He said the
investment in the clean-up of the Harbour Grace incinerator site is
part of a broader plan by MMSB to support the consolidation and
closure of as many waste disposal sites in the province as possible.
"MMSB has provided funding to help close out 12 waste disposal sites
in the past year or so and is prepared to make further investments
in this area throughout the province," added Mr. Scott.
Minister Osborne said that the long term-plan for the future use of
the Harbour Grace site is to utilize it as a waste transfer station
for the Conception Bay North area, as part of the broader regional
waste management strategy being developed by the Greater Avalon
Regional Waste Management Committee. He added: "In the shorter term,
there may be merit in looking at the feasibility of utilizing the
site as a recycling station to support a fibre waste diversion
initiative for Conception Bay North, similar to what we are doing in
other parts of the province. Both my department and MMSB are
prepared to work with communities in the region to consider such a
concept further."
The Harbour Grace incinerator site operated as a regional waste
disposal site for the Conception Bay North area until November 2002.
It was closed at that time due to serious environmental, public
health and operational issues. All solid waste collected in the
region since then has been trucked to the Robin Hood Bay landfill in
St. John�s.
MMSB is a provincial Crown agency that reports to the Minister of
Environment and Conservation. MMSB supports modern waste management
practices in the province, with a particular focus on waste
diversion, recycling and public education, in order to ensure a
clean and healthy environment throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Media contact:
- David Penney, MMSB,
(709)753-0993
- Sonia Glover, Environment and
Conservation, (709)729-2575, 685-6612
2005 06 14
12:40 p.m. |