JOHN JANTAK
The 1019 Report

The plan to open a $20-million composting facility in St. Télesphore – a project described by regional officials as “the biggest environmental project” in the MRC of Vaudreuil-Soulanges – is not complete but continues to draw criticism from residents concerned about the impact it will have on the environment and the residents who live closest to it.

But MRC officials says the plant – which will be similar to a composting facility opened in Cowansville – will follow all provincial environmental standards. And they refute concerns the facility will be nothing more than a landfill.

“We understand there are some concerns and we really want to give the right information about this project and what’s going to happen in the next few months and years,” said MRC spokesperson Catherine St-Amour.

Last week, in an often fiery question period at the MRC meeting, about 50 people peppered the mayors of the region about the project. From wanting to know what other sites were considered before selecting the site in St. Télesphore for the facility, to how many trucks will travel to the site, to the impact on ground water in the region, residents outlined their concerns.

The confrontation was just a few days after a group of about 30 staged a short protest at the site of the planned facility, two lots near a sand quarry on St. Antoine Road, which the MRC is finalizing the purchase of for the project.

Residents will be kept informed throughout the entire development process, said MRC prefect Patrick Bousez, adding that each phase of the project will have to be approved by the provincial Environment Ministry.

The plan would see all of the region’s organic waste, which is now trucked to Lachute, to be processed in St. Télesphore.

One of the advantages of having a dedicated compost processing centre in the region, St-Amour said, is the high-quality compost that will be produced will be available exclusively for Vaudreuil-Soulanges residents.

“The organic material that will be going to the facility will be only from our region and the compost that is made will be redistributed in the region,” she said.

Only green waste, autumn leaves and food waste from Vaudreuil-Soulanges will be processed at the regional composting platform.

St-Amour dismissed rumours that the proposed centre would be a landfill site, saying landfills are prohibited on Vaudreuil-Soulanges territory.

Residents of St. Télesphore were invited to an information session about the planned facility last week. Future sessions will be open to all residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, but no dates have been set for these meetings.

According to the MRC, the cost of building the $20-million facility will be offset by a $5.4-million subsidy from the province. It will have an annual operating budget of $1.4 million, and the estimated cost of treating organic waste at the facility will be about $100 per tonne.