The Honourable Dave Denine, Minister of Municipal
Affairs, has announced appointments to the Western Regional Waste
Management Committee to advance a waste management action plan for the
western region.
"The goal of the committee is to move forward with a
plan that will ultimately result in a single waste management facility
to service the western region of the province at a reasonable cost to
consumers, and incorporate programs of household hazardous waste, waste
reduction and diversion, composting and recycling," said Minister Denine.
"This is a significant step in moving the Provincial Solid Waste
Management Plan forward and will help modernize and strengthen solid
waste collection on the West Coast of our province."
The Western Regional Waste Management Committee will
be comprised of 10 individuals, including a chairperson. The
appointments shall remain in effect for a two-year, renewable term, or
until changes are required as a result of its transformation into an
elected regional authority. The appointees to the committee represent a
cross-section of the geographical and sectoral interests in the regional
waste management system.
Appointees include Baine Hodder, representing the Town
of Burnt Islands; Eric Legge, representing the Local Service District of
Bay St. George South; Cynthia Downey, representing the Town of
Stephenville Crossing; Tony Blanchard, representing the Humber Economic
Development Board; Paula Blanchard, representing the Town of McIvers;
Kevin Hollahan, representing the Town of Irishtown-Summerside; Robert
Mercer, representing the Town of Pasadena; Calvin Brophy, representing
the Town of Jackson�s Arm; Keith Shears, representing the Town of Rocky
Harbour; and Charles Pender, representing the City of Corner Brook.
The mandate of the Western Regional Waste Management
Committee is sufficiently broad to enable it to advance a waste
management action plan for the region. The geographic area to be
considered includes the western region of the province from Harbour La
Cou on the southwest coast to Bellburns on the Northern Peninsula and
east past Highway 420, which includes Hampden and Jackson�s Arm and
area.
Therefore, the committee is mandated to:
Carry out consultations with municipal
leaders, the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors
and other applicable stakeholders on the proposed system and
operating parameters in order to develop an awareness and build
support for a regional system.
Assess the feedback from the consultation
process and utilize that information in the validation of the
findings and approach recommended in the earlier report. In
particular, the committee must consider the practicality of
incorporating the waste from the major industrial users in the
area, pulp and paper mills, into a regional waste facility.
Utilize the available report, supplemented by
consultation with impacted stakeholders, and identify a single
site for further consideration and environmental screening.
Carry the project through the Environmental
Assessment process.
Undertake a community awareness campaign and
educate users on the importance of waste diversion and the
benefits of programs such as composting.
Develop a transitional strategy to consolidate
existing sites and plan for the ultimate closure of existing
sites and integration into a singular facility.
Undertake a phased consolidation of waste site
operations in preparation for the development of the single
regional facility.
Research possible funding approaches.
Develop the project for the final phases of
design and construction.
Develop a governance model which is suitable
for the region, represents the varying interests and develop a
consensus around the proposed governance model.
Develop a transitional plan to move the
committee membership and chairperson from an appointed committee
to an elected regional authority.
Formally establish a Regional Waste Management
Authority.
In May 2007, the Provincial Government announced
implementation of the Provincial Waste Management Plan with a
goal for full implementation by 2020. The strategy calls for three
full-service regional waste management facilities on the Avalon, Central
and in Western areas of the island portion of the province, and programs
which will be developed for the zones in Labrador to meet the provincial
waste management goals. Regional waste management authorities will be
established in 15 waste management zones; 11 on the island portion of
the province and four in Labrador. The Avalon Regional Site is expected
to be operational by 2010, the Central site by 2011, and the Western
Regional site by 2016. It is anticipated that the approximately 200 dump
sites in the province will decrease to 40 sites, which are located in
remote locations, through the implementation of this initiative. The
provincial strategy will aim to reduce the amount of waste going into
landfills in the province by 50 per cent supported by the use of
disposal bans and development of new waste diversion programs.
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