A sod-turning ceremony took place today to mark the start of Steinbach’s Class 1 Solid Waste Disposal Ground Development project.
Mayor Chris Goertzen was joined by Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, Chris Wiebe of Wiebe Investments, the contractor for Phase 1 of the project, and Solid Waste Department Head, Eldon Wallman, in marking the commencement of this large-scale project.
The goal of Council is to equip our city with infrastructure for the long-term and projects such as the Landfill expansion are integral to keeping our city progressive and operating efficiently, said Mayor Goertzen.
Our Solid Waste Department has been looking forward to this day for two years, said Wallman. It has been greatly anticipated and we look forward to offering all the patrons of our landfill a first-class facility for the next twenty years.
Steinbach’s Class 1 Solid Waste Disposal Ground Development project consists of two phases. The first phase involves the development of a new solid waste collection site, while the second phase involves the decommissioning of the old active landfill site on the same lot at a total estimated cost of $3.5 million. Waste diversion programs that will benefit from the expansion include wood chipping, composting, and metal, tires, used oil, and white goods diversion and recycling programs.
The first phase of this project is expected to be completed by the end of November 2010.
The City has owned and operated a solid waste landfill site at its present location since 1956. Use of this site was provided to surrounding municipalities in 1995 as their smaller landfill sites were closed down and decommissioned. Steinbach currently accepts solid waste from four municipalities, which results in the collection of 27,500 tonnes of waste annually. This site services a population base of 35,000 people in southeastern Manitoba and is one of only 13 Class 1 solid waste disposal sites in the province.
