More Life Left in Foothills Landfill
Prince George, B.C. – The annual report on the Foothills Landfill in Prince George, shows some encouraging signs.
The site received just over 105.5 tonnes of materials last year, but not all of it made it into the landfill. Nearly 30% of the material that went over the scales, was diverted through recycling , used as cover material or went into the compost.
That’s good news, because it means the lifespan of the current landfill area will go beyond 2027. How long past 2027 is not clear says Regional District Environmental Services Manager Petra Wildauer “That depends on many factors, unfortunately we can’t be more specific on that”. Those factors include increases in construction and demolition waste. For instance, the amount of construction and demolition waste making it into the landfill in 2014 was down from the amount handled in 2013 when there was a lot of construction underway for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
Wildauer says while the overall amount of materials arriving at the fFothills site last year was down compared to 2013, the amount of material diverted increased. “In 2013, we had 22,890 tonnes that were diverted, and in 2014, we had 30,602 tonnes that were diverted. ”
Here’s a breakdown of the more than 75 thousand tonnes of materials that made it into the landfill:
| Type | tonnes |
| Residential | 36,926.5 |
| Industrial & Commercial | 27,232.8 |
| Construction & Demolition | 17,140.4 |
| Asbestos | 234.5 |
| Transfer Station | 6,659.7 |
Here’s a breakdown of the recycled and materials that did not make it into the landfill
| Type | tonnes |
| Tires | 23.1 |
| Appliances | 159.6 |
| Scrap Metal | 1,048.2 |
| Cover and Soils | 23,036.9 |
The Foothills Landfill serves 92 thousand residents throughout the Regional District of Fraser Fort George, and according to the report, last year, the per capita daily waste that is landfilled was 2.23 kgs.
There is a two phase plan to upgrade the Landfill site, with phase one expected to be complete this year. That project will see the leachate diverted to the City of Prince George’s sanitary sewer system. Phase two, which is proposed for next year, would see the existing entrance relocated, replacement of the in and outbound scales and scale house and a relocation of the public tipping and recycling areas.
Comments
If you were to go up in behind the north scales you will see where lots of waste material and garbage has been left especially appliances and household waste all because people are too cheap to spend the $6 it costs to use the landfill.
Making people pay to dump is just bad policy. The fee should be hidden in some other form of taxation whether it be gas taxes, property taxes, or income taxes.
Using a flat tax concept on garbage dumping is something only those in ivory towers could contemplate as good policy.
Also the leachate diverted to the City of Prince George’s sanitary sewer system… really? I thought that would be highly contaminated with things like mercury from all those fluorescent light bulbs. Great way to poison the river when the sewer is sent back into the river with some PH adjustment but nothing that removes heavy metals.
Eagleone. I fully agree with your point regarding the leachate being routed through the sanitary sewer. The sewer system is designed to treat municipal sanitary sewer, that is all. Studies on sewer treatment already prove that they cannot remove many cleaning products, pharmaceutical byproducts and the trace metals which are already contained within sanitary sewer systems. Adding this leachate is not a wise idea for the environment. Hopefully they can source a better alternative.
It is good to hear that the landfill’s life expectancy has seen an increase due to recycling. I just wish that more trash could actually make it there, rather than blowing out of vehicles and laying in the ditch.
One thing to mention the landfill is the responsibility of the Regional District of Fraser Fort George the city does not run nor maintain the landfill something that a lot of people either do not know or tend to forget
I am pretty sure the city is well aware that stuff that is coming out of it is not just water, and will be able to treat it. Zeolite.
How many times have we washed our paint brushes in the mop sink. What about the toilet bowl cleaner, or the drain unclogging agents. Those are pretty nasty things that disappear down a drain.
Eagleone and Watchdog, unless you have never done stuff like that, I would not be taking such a puritan stance.
The thing is it’s not just $6 to go and use the dump. If you have a fridge to dump it’ll cost way more than $6 to dump it. That’s why people just go and be stupid and throw in the bushes. If it was a flat rate to dump more people would be encouraged. I also like the idea of a new entrance way and maybe more locations to use the dumpsters. It gets pretty crowded in there on a nice Saturday afternoon.
There’s another 20 ton on the power lines in Beaverly…
Actually I take back that flat rate add on.. Since 100 kgs or whatever it is of garbage is 6 dollars how much does a fridge weigh? Lol.
when did scrap metal started gettung charged… used to be free for they in turned sold it to scrap metal dealer for recycling… Extra profits..
“The site received just over 105.5 tonnes of materials last year”
That should probably read 105.5 thousand tonnes.
More bureaucratic nonsense, same “stuff” different day.
They are basking in the artificial glow of superficial success; believing that the lifespan of the landfill has been extended due to their heroically inspired recycling plans.
So convenient for them to ‘forget’ a few ‘minor’ items, like;
– the aforementioned appliances and other waste that is dumped illegally,
the volume of which has increased since the imposition of tipping fees
– on site redirection of tires, etc. that have always been in play, why add those services to your self congratulations?
Also, conveniently overlooking the huge volume of recyclable products that are tossed into the bins with the garbage and buried in the landfill, such as furniture, small appliances, bicycles, windows, doors and more.
If facilities existed to truly separate recyclables and re-usables from the waste stream, the landfill could probably continue to function for many decades.
What is the cost of developing a new area to receive garbage vs. the cost of developing more, and better recycling facilities?
metalman.
I remember when I it used to a huge gully back in the late 60’s and early 70’s
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