Sod-Turning For Solid Waste Composting Facility

A new composting facility that will serve six Nova Scotia municipalities is one step closer to completion after a sod-turning event in Pictou County today.

The Pictou County Solid Waste Composting Facility will be used by municipalities in the towns of Stellarton, Westville, Trenton, New Glasgow, Pictou and Pictou County. Constructed by Miller Composting Corp., it will use the same state-of-the-art technology that's operating successfully in Lunenburg and Halifax.

"This latest facility brings us yet another step closer to meeting our waste diversion goals," said Environment Minister Michel Samson. "We've been able to demonstrate to the world how valuable a resource we have in the everyday things we used to throw away. And we're creating jobs in the process."

Samson participated in the ceremony along with representatives from the various municipalities and Miller Composting Corp.

"This represents a significant milestone for our respective municipalities," said Gary MacLaughlin, chair of the Solid Waste Committee, on behalf of the region. "The facility is proof of our commitment to turn waste into resources and we're counting on residents and businesses to separate organic materials for composting."

The new facility is expected to open in August 1999 and will process up to 5,000 tonnes of organic waste annually.

"We're extremely excited about this particular project," said Blair McArthur of Miller Composting Corp. "We've shown that our technology can be cost-effective for both larger municipalities and smaller ones."

Nova Scotia is among the leaders in solid waste management. It's well on its way to meeting a national goal of 50 per cent waste diversion for the year 2000. All told, the province is diverting 237,000 tonnes of material every year. This number was almost negligible just a few years ago.