Log in & Sign up
You are not logged in.
Meloche quarry chosen as site for recycling plant
New $7.5-million facility to be built
Alycia Ambroziak
The Gazette
Friday, August 15, 2008
Aerial view of the quarry.
Alycia Ambroziak
The Gazette
The huge landfill that was the old Meloche quarry in Pierrefonds – which in past years was the scene of protests by area residents who objected to vile odours emanating from the site – will be turned into a $7.5-million state-of-the-art recycling and sorting facility.
“We have all the required permits. All we need now is the final okay from the Quebec environment department and that should be forthcoming within the next two months,” said Gilles Mousseau, vice-president of Les Entreprises Environnementales Pierrefonds (LEEP), which took control of the Oakwood St. site in Pierrefonds/Roxboro almost two years ago.
“We should begin operations in the fall of this year and be fully operational by the spring of 2009,” he said.
The landfill site, which had been in operation since 1999, had been a bone of contention with area residents who had to endure strong odours caused by a fire in 2004. The landfill, which accepts dry construction materials, like brick, glass, drywall and plywood, didn’t stink until 2004, when a nine-day fire necessitated an inordinate amount of dousing, which created a soup of fermenting wood and other water-logged items in the landfill. It all became even more smelly in the hot and humid summer months.
At the time, area residents complained and held protests against the landfill and the stench it caused.
In August 2007, the company received permission to install gas wells over the dump to burn off the offensive gases.
And this summer, said Pierrefonds/Roxboro Mayor Monique Worth, there have been no complaints.
“We had a couple of complaints in March and the matter was quickly taken care of. That was all,” she said, adding that she welcomed the company’s plans for the waste-sorting centre, which will be enclosed in a 105-by-175-foot building, equipped with conveyor belts and containers for various types of recycling material like paper, cardboard, wood, metal and plastic as well as various dust catchers, water filters and an air purification system.
“Right now, we recycle about 15 per cent of the 200,000 tons of materials we receive yearly,” said LEEP president Michel Hübler. “That figure will go up to 50 per cent – and maybe 60 per cent – once the new centre is installed.”
The company has permission to operate until 2022, when the landfill site should be at ground level.
Worth said the city has not yet decided what will be done with the land but said a park and a golf course are possibilities.
Potential new Recycling Plant
This is an interesting development, and as long as it does not create any new problems (such as additional noise, air pollution, increased traffic, etc.), then it should be acceptable. However, once the quarry has been filled to it's limit, I do hope that the land will be developed into a usable public facility, and a park would likely be the most welcome solution for all.
A golf course is a nice idea, but may not be welcomed by those who do not participate in the sport. I think the final use of this space should be decided by the citizens living adjacent to it, and to those who have had to put up with the past odour problems. Recently I noticed an unpleasant odour while driving down Oakwood street, and it was not as pungent or potent as in the past, but served as a reminder of how bad the problem once was. The residents who had to endure this might well prefer to be rewarded with a nice well planned park when the time comes!
Bill Wilkat
Pierrefonds