Midhurst/December 16, 2015 – The County of Simcoe's Solid Waste Management Department recently completed a successful landfill remediation project at Site 56, located in the Belle Ewart area of the Town of Innisfil. The project, which consisted of the full removal of the waste and site restoration, aligns with the County's continued efforts to demonstrate sound environmental stewardship.
"As leaders in Solid Waste Management services, we're committed to investing in environmentally responsible initiatives that benefit our communities and the environment," said Warden Gerry Marshall. "Our remediation efforts align with our goals to reduce our footprint on our surroundings by implementing strategies that lead to less waste, more trees and ultimately a greener Simcoe County for generations to come."
The County has spent more than $50 million remediating landfill sites since the 1990s. This remediation is the second complete "dig and dump" project of its kind—the County completed a remediation of Site 25 in Creemore in 2013. The County continues to plan for additional landfill improvements in the future.
About this project
This site was chosen for remediation due to potential safety hazards posed by uncovered debris on the closed site. The County started the planning process for this project in 2010, with onsite work beginning in September 2015 when all necessary approvals were in place. The project's scope included the excavation and removal of all waste (2,300 tonnes) from this closed landfill site. The waste, consisting mainly of soil, broken glass and rusted tin (due to the age of the site), was transferred to the County's Oro Landfill to be utilized as alternative cover material. A number of large trees were saved and staff hand dug around the root systems to remove the waste. Following the excavation and removal of waste, the remaining soils were re-graded with the addition of like amounts of locally sourced clean fill and top soil. This allowed the County to achieve similar elevations and conditions to the site's pre-landfill conditions; swales were integrated to provide additional habitat. The County has now planted the site with a local grass mix and more than 200 trees. Staff will continue to monitor this site in future years to ensure the health of the plantings and re-colonization from surrounding areas occurs as intended.
About Site 56 - Innisfil
Site 56 is approximately 1.1 hectares and is located at Part Lot 23 Concession 4, in the Town of Innisfil. In 1942 the site received domestic waste materials; it is suspected that the site stopped receiving materials and closed several years later. The Town of Innisfil owned the closed landfill site until 1991, at which time the County of Simcoe assumed responsibility for waste management services from its member municipalities and took ownership of this and other municipally owned closed and open landfill sites.
The County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.
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Contacts:
Allan Greenwood
Director, Corporate Communications
705-726-9300 ext. 1230
705-794-9301 (mobile)
Allan.Greenwood@simcoe.ca
Collin Matanowitsch
Communications Co-ordinator
705-726-9300 ext. 1430
705-734-8386 (mobile)
Collin.Matanowitsch@simcoe.ca