Central Saanich staffers will be busy looking into the future of composting in Central Saanich after a request by a councillor.
During the regular council meeting on Aug. 12, District of Central Saanich Councillor Cathie Ounsted brought a notice of motion to the table asking staffers to look into appropriate regulation on composting due to the fact that the Capital Regional District is moving to a complete ban on organic waste going into the Hartland Landfill by 2015.
She requested that staff provide a review of the current regulatory authority regarding composting facilities on agricultural land reserve (ALR) land and provide recommendations with respect to appropriate regulations in light of the ban on organic waste in the landfill.
“We know it’s coming so we should get ourselves in a strong position beforehand so we can deal [with the composting requests] when we get hit with them in the near future,” explained Ounsted of her motion.
The issue of large-scale composting in Central Saanich has been a contentious one, with issues heating up most recently around the Foundation Organics facility on Lochside Drive.
The facility has been operating for two years now and complaints from neighbours of the facility range from offensive smells stemming from the operation to loud noises at all hours and large truck traffic on narrow rural roads.
Two weeks ago, due to neighbours’ complaints specifically relating to odour, the CRD suspended their contracts with the facility, although the facility continues to accept organic waste from other businesses.
Councillor Ounsted’s notice of motion was supported unanimously by council.