Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff has issued an open letter to the province following growing concerns over the proposed regenerative recycling facility in Dresden.
In a letter to Andrea Khanjin, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Canniff said the municipality only learned about the details of the two applications made by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd. once they were posted to the Environmental Registry of Ontario and public notices were sent out.
"The owners of these properties are trying to establish new recycling and landfill uses without full study by hitchhiking on outdated, historic Ministry approvals issued decades ago," the letter read. "Those historic approvals were for very narrow uses serving the local area, that had limited impacts on surrounding properties and our community."
According to the letter, ministry staff have accepted some of the arguments of the owners, such as it only being an expansion of the existing facilities.
"Chatham-Kent strongly disagrees with this approach," read the letter. "What is being proposed here is the establishment of a new large-scale recycling and landfill facility with a province-wide service area. Under the proposal, the site would receive and manage over 2 million tonnes of waste per year."
The concerns outlined in the letter include:
The owner’s approach resulting in hundreds of trucks bringing recycling and garbage through the community without adequate study and planning.
The environmental approval requirements the government has in place for new landfills are being avoided in this case, raising major concerns about negative impacts on residents and the community, the environment, and natural features in the area.
The property being close to the town of Dresden.
The 24-hour-a-day operations potentially creating significant noise and odour issues.
On Monday, council passed a unanimous motion opposing the proposal and calling on the Ministry to reject the proposal.
Another information session is set to take place in Dresden on Friday night to talk about a proposed regenerative recycling facility just north of town.
The community event at Ken Houston Memorial Agricultural Centre starts at 6 p.m.
Residents can expect the arena to be busier than normal as the Dresden Kings are hosting a PJHL playoff game Friday night.
