February 3, 2015
Province Takes Over Cleanup of Composting Business
Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship advises the province is exercising its authority under the Environment Act and has taken over the removal of compost material from the Samborski Environmental Limited site off McGillivray Boulevard in Winnipeg in accordance with Environmental Protection Order 2013-07.
The order stated that if Samborski Environmental did not remove the compost material to another pre-approved or properly licensed location, the province could take over the job and recover costs from Samborski Environmental. The company failed to demonstrate satisfactory progress in the removal of compost from the site and a provincially hired contractor took over the job today.
Over the course of five years, Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship received more than 500 complaints from local residents and businesses about excessive odour coming from the composting operation. After numerous inspections and interviews with local residents, area businesses and Samborski Environmental, the department concluded the odour was coming from the composting facility and was a pollutant under the Environment Act.
On Oct. 21, 2014, the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench upheld the order. The province allowed an extension of the original deadline and gave Samborski Environmental until Dec. 1, 2014, to stop accepting new compost material and remove all existing compost material from the site. The order specifically required the removal of all compost, organic or other material in the process of being composted, and organic or other material that is intended for composting from the facility.
The cleanup by Progressive Waste Solutions has begun and it is expected all the material covered under the order will be moved to that company’s licensed facility by the end of February.
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