Mayor Ross Forrest and Councillor Bob Day recently met with the Town of St. Paul’s (Alberta) mayor to discuss in-vessel composting and waste disposal.
The topics of garbage, composting and organics have sustained a continued presence at the Town of Lake Cowichan’s Public Works Committee meetings in recent times and that was no different last Tuesday.
“Councillor Day and I met with the Glenn Andersen, the Mayor of St. Paul recently and they are in the process of getting a vessel or machine for waste,” said Forrest at the meeting.
The Town of Lake Cowichan is currently contemplating whether or not to purchase an organic composter called the BIOvator of which Day has been an instigator and promoter for.
“On June 9, St. Paul is pulling out of its regional district for garbage and is going to go in on its own,” said Forrest. “They are going to be purchasing a grinder from UNTHA that separates metals, glass and everything so they just end up with shredded plastic. They have a buyer for that in Edmonton so they will get rid of 100% of their waste and recycle it.”
Forrest plans to stay in touch with St. Paul for more detail on developments there going forward.
“It was a very good conversation. It would cost us more than just doing organics but it shows there is a vessel out there for whatever your needs are.”
Day also said he learned a lot from what’s going on in St. Paul.
“We are already going down the organics road but this proves to me that there’s something out there for every community,” said Day at the meeting. “Every bit of waste in St. Paul is recycled. We are talking $1 million probably but we’d be responsible for our waste.”
Forrest stated St. Paul has a population of 6,000 people.
“They are not that much bigger than us,” he said. “Everything with the grinder is separated into different containers.”
Coun. Tim McGonigle was encouraged by the mayor and Day’s findings but stated B.C. is still superior on the organics front to our Alberta neighbours.
“We are already in the MMBC program,” said McGonigle. “I see this more as a continuation of our organics program, when it gets started. If something is made here, it should be managed here.”