FAQs

Composting is a lower cost alternative to landfilling that will significant reduce the regional GHG foot print. It’s estimated that the carbon footprint can be reduced by 14% by taking food waste out of the landfill. Together, with a food collection program, the facility will divert between 26% and 40% of all waste entering the landfill. This will increase the life of the landfill and decrease the long-term costs for waste management systems in the region. Once the landfill is closed, the RDOS and member municipalities will be required to ship waste out of region, which will cost considerably more.

Composting is an important resource for farmers as crops infested with pests or blight cannot be buried at the landfill, and processing the compost at high temperatures is required to sterilize this waste. This also has the benefit of destroying most noxious weed seeds that would otherwise be spread in other soil additives such as manure. Food and yard waste composting will create an organic-quality soil additive that can be used on farms and landscaping and is an alternative to chemical fertilizers that can create GHGs and adversely affect streams and lakes. Compost acts as a sponge, trapping moisture and improving water conservation for landscaping and farms. It is also an important alternative to burning and improving our air quality.

The ALC rejected the RDOS exclusion application, which impacts where the facility can be located. As a result, the new facility will be limited to food, yard, and agricultural waste composting on the portions of the property that are not within the ALR or phase 1. The RDOS intends to apply to the ALC for a non-farm use on the remaining portions of the property in order to replace the City of Penticton’s existing biosolids composting facility. This will be a future phase of the project should the ALC permit the same, phase 2.

The property located at 1313 Greyback Mountain Road is the most fiscally responsible option for constructing the facility. Operating the food organics and wastewater solids composting sites in close proximity to the current landfill operations is anticipated to save capital costs.

No. The organic waste will be diverted to the proposed composting facility which will be equipped with its own automated scale. Vehicles that would normally go to the Campbell Mountain Landfill to dispose of organic wastes, will now go to 1313 Greyback Road. Diverting organic waste to the proposed composting facility with its own scale system will reduce the wait times at the Campbell Mountain landfill and reduce the potential for lineups along Reservoir Road.

The Province of B.C. strictly forbids composting sites from polluting groundwater. The proposed composting facility will be built above ground with liners and impermeable surfaces to prevent any possible leachate. Any liquid collected will be recirculated onsite which will reduce water consumption. Monitoring wells will be installed to further insure the prevention of groundwater contamination.  Further, the existing biosolids composting facility does not have any of these measures.  The new facility, once constructed will be a dramatic improvement.

The proposed composting facility will have strict odour control measures in place. Mixing and primary composting operations will take place inside buildings. These buildings will be designed with negative pressure and bio filters to purify the odour.  Once phase 2 is complete it is estimated that there will be a 70% reduction in existing odours from the biosolids facility. Any equipment operating outside would be done in the daytime, during regular business hours. 

No. There will be separate areas for food waste compost and wastewater treatment composting. Wastewater compost will be used to create a landscaping product, while food and yard waste can be used for agricultural compost without the use of wastewater solids. The City of Penticton is looking to upgrade the existing wastewater solids treatment facility at Campbell Mountain. The two facilities will be able to share equipment, employees and infrastructure which will save millions of dollars in construction, land and operating costs. It makes good fiscal sense for the City of Penticton and the RDOS to be working together on this project.

Currently local agriculture industries are limited to burn piles, composting on site, or chipping piles to eliminate prunings and other organic brown waste. During burning bans, burning these materials is not permitted. Chipping programs and on-site composting may not be possible if these materials have pests or blight. The province does not currently allow the RDOS to bury these wastes at its landfills. The proposed composting facility would provide an alternative that currently doesn’t exist. The final compost product will meet an organic food standard that can be reused on local crops as a method of water and nutrient conservation. Chemical additives such as Nitrogen are being discouraged as they can create Nitrous Oxide which is a potent Green House Gas. These chemicals can also enter our aquifers and streams and cause health and environmental issues.

The RDOS and the City of Penticton are currently working on a new curbside collection contract that will include food waste collection as a new service. The new food waste composting facility will be necessary in order to support this new service.

The ownership of 1313 Greyback Mountain Road by the RDOS actually secures access for the public to Campbell Mountain. Private ownership of 1313 Greyback Mountain Road could result in the loss of access.  

The landfill is expected to open for the foreseeable future and is estimated to have 100 years of life left. Even upon the closure of the landfill, there may be some type of waste transfer or processing center that takes the landfill’s place.

Although the proposed land would not be used to grow food, it would have agricultural benefits. The facility provides farmers and households with locally manufactured compost and the ability to compost agricultural waste from the farms. Composting agricultural waste is an important resource for farmers as crops infested with pests or blight cannot be buried at the landfill but can be processed at the facility, due to the high temperatures used in the composting process, which sterilizes the waste, destroying most noxious weed seeds that would otherwise be spread in other soil additives such as manure. Additionally, an assessment done by an agrologist found limited ability to grow crops on the proposed property. Furthermore, the first phase of the project is not on ALR land.

The RDOS consulted with a wildlife expert (Makonis Consulting Ltd) to review the potential wildlife impacts of proposed composting facility. Makonis found that building the composting facility will have insignificant impacts at the proposed location.