Campbell River city council has approved a development permit for a regional compost facility to be located next to the existing Campbell River Waste Management Centre.
This Comox Strathcona Waste Management (CSWM) facility will allow for curbside collection of organic material from over 30,000 single-family houses in Campbell River, Comox, Cumberland and Courtney. From this material, finished compost will be created for use in agriculture and landscaping.
City council approved the permit on July 12. But the permit issuance is dependent on three conditions: receipt of a security deposit for landscaping, an encroachment agreement between the city and Comox Valley Regional District for road signage and lighting as well as authorization by the province.
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The compost facility is located in a 19-hectare property off Argonaut Road, but will fit within a six-hectare, cleared portion designated for non-farm use. The rest of the property will remain forested to provide a treed buffer from the road and neighbouring properties.
The $15.5 million project — funded through $6.4 million in grants and $9.1 million from CSWM reserves — will help reach waste diversion targets set in the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan developed in 2012 between the Strathcona and Comox Valley Regional Districts together with the city.
“It’s taken a long time, but I think this is just such an important aspect of the solid waste service, and (I am) looking forward to its completion, ” said Coun. Claire Moglove, during the meeting.
The project will reduce transportation costs by using trucks carrying waste from Campbell River to the Cumberland Central Landfill to haul organic materials back to the compost facility on return trips. This arrangement makes the project a ‘win-win’ for both communities, said Mayor Andy Adams.
RELATED: Comox Strathcona compost site should go to tender this summer
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