Brandon Sun - PRINT EDITION
There have been delays in setting up a permanent depot where residents can drop off household hazardous waste, the city reports.
But a depot should be in place within a week — even if it does consist of trailers, and not a building, for the time being.
The city’s director of public works, Ian Broome, said some residents are anxious to see the new permanent depot in place and have made complaints.
“We’ve had a few at the landfill … we’re just telling them to be patient, we’re doing it as fast as we can,” Broome said.
Under a recently introduced provincial program, it was expected that a permanent household hazardous waste depot would be set up at the Eastview Landfill site on Oct. 1.
Broome, however, said there have been delays.
He said he’s still negotiating a contract with the company hired by the province to collect the hazardous waste. Details also have to be worked out with the province.
Some of the matters to be clarified include who is to pay for the costs of disposing of “unknown” waste that isn’t part of the program — literally, waste that can’t be identified.
As far back as April, Broome had hoped that a permanent depot building would be built at the landfill site by now, but it’s still in the planning stages.
The company contracted to haul away waste is to have the building built, but it needs its plans to be approved by an engineering firm and then the Brandon and Area Planning District, Broome said.
The building needs to have special features given its toxic contents.
“You’ve got to make sure that it’s properly contained should there be a spill,” Broome said. “Certain gasses, if there’s vapour leakage, you’ve got to make sure that you’re not walking into a potential hazard.”
It will be next year before a building can be constructed, Broome said.
In the interim, trailers will be set up at the Eastview Landfill site where residents can drop off waste. Hopefully, they’ll be in place within a week, he said.
They’re to accept waste between 9 a.m. and noon and then 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Some of the program’s costs are to be covered by levies charged for items at point of purchase.
Broome didn’t have a specific list of items that can be dropped off, but the company that hauls away the waste notes that it runs a paint and fluorescent light program in Manitoba.
The program is to be expanded this year to include other unspecified hazardous materials. In other provinces, the company handles pesticides, flammable liquids, gasoline, small appliances and electronic equipment.
There are already programs in place here for the disposal of e-waste such as computer components and for contaminated oil.
For now, leftover paint can be left at five temporary depots set up at various city businesses — Windsor Plywood, Rona, Janzen’s Paint and Decorating, General Paint and Brandon Home Hardware.
Home Hardware also accepts old compact fluorescent light bulbs and tubes.
With the creation of a new permanent depot, it looks like Household Hazardous Waste Days will cease and an event held earlier this year will be the last.
A permanent depot site — even if it is temporarily run using trailers — would eliminate the need for the former biannual event.
The Rotary Club of Brandon and specifically club member Glen Barclay, ran the program for 20 years.
With the help of air cadets, they diverted such toxic substances as oil, paint, herbicides and aerosols from the landfill.
On the designated days, citizens could drop off their unwanted items for proper disposal for free.
Club president Harvey Laluk said the organization took pride in the program.
“Without that, all that stuff would be out in our landfill at the moment,” Laluk said.
However, he said he’s glad that the city is moving to dispose of household hazardous waste on its own.
“It’s time to move on,” Laluk said.
» ihitchen@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition October 13, 2012
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There have been delays in setting up a permanent depot where residents can drop off household hazardous waste, the city reports.
But a depot should be in place within a week — even if it does consist of trailers, and not a building, for the time being.
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There have been delays in setting up a permanent depot where residents can drop off household hazardous waste, the city reports.
But a depot should be in place within a week — even if it does consist of trailers, and not a building, for the time being.
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