Orangeville and Mulmur Township councils have reacted positively to a suggestion that Dufferin County assume full responsibility for collection and disposal of solid wastes.

Mulmur was the first to move on an inquiry from the county as to the local municipalities’ position on the county assuming the “total waste stream.”

In a letter to the county dated Nov. 21, Mulmur clerk/treasurer Terry Horner said his council had passed the following resolution: “That whereas the County of Dufferin has asked under what conditions the Township of Mulmur would transfer waste management authority to the County, and whereas the County of Dufferin is embarking on a ‘zero waste’ concept of waste management, and whereas county-wide contracts for pickup, blue box programs, hazardous waste programs and other waste diversion activities would allow economies of scale, thus reducing per-household costs, therefore be it resolved that the Township supports County taking responsibility for all aspects of waste management under the following conditions:

1. A ‘zero waste’ model be pursued.

2. No new landfill sites will be developed.

3. Existing landfill sites will receive waste only from the host municipality.

4. A process be set up to determine present value versus future liabilities for existing landfill sites in order to determine compensation that may be payable to present landfill site owners.”

Orangeville’s support for the county takeover came in a resolution passed Monday night that includes its own set of conditions that varied slightly from Mulmur’s.

In moving the resolution, Councillor Gail Campbell noted that a report from Town staff highlighted several concerns. The first was that there must always be reliable solid waste disposal facilities for the town’s residents, industries, businesses and institutional facilities.

As with Mulmur, the Orangeville resolution calls for pursuit of a ‘zero waste’ model.

“However, if the County takes responsibility for all aspects of waste management, going forward it should not be precluded from assessing all available technologies and implementing the best system for the residents, industries, businesses and institutional facilities in Dufferin County, having regard for the environment, levels of service, costs, etc.,” Councillor Campbell said. The final concern was based on the Waste Management Master plan done in the early 1990’s. The resolution suggests that before the county assumes responsibility for and ownership of existing landfill sites there should be a process in place to determine the net value of each landfill (asset or liability), which would consider the cost of closure and long-term monitoring requirements and what the appropriate compensation to or from the county would be.

Councillor Campbell thinks Mulmur’s second condition — that no new landfill sites be developed — might not be realistic, based as it is on an assumption that there would be zero waste.

Deputy Mayor Jim McGregor wanted the resolution to go farther, by seeking assurance that a county landfill site would be established, if it proved necessary.

“I say that because currently, we are not, as Orangeville, allowed to use any municipal waste [site] of our neighbours/ partners. ... That is their huge single fear — that Orangeville will take over,” he said.

He added that part of the townships’ fear is that Orangeville will gobble up a site’s 100-year capacity in five years.

“I understand their concern but currently we don’t have the ability to access that.” He said the resolution should state clearly “that Orangeville wants assurances that if we go into a county waste stream that there would be possible considerations for a new dump site.”

He added: “At the end of the day, if the county assumes responsibility for waste, then the county will have to find a place to put it.”

The deputy mayor stated he doesn’t think the town would be any worse off with county control and would actually be better off, but not with the notion that the municipality is looking for a county waste deposal site for the town.

Mayor Drew Brown commented he thinks it’s a question of interpretation. He stated county council is no longer thinking in terms of dumps and is talking about new technologies.

He stated that with waste there is always something left. But the beauty of the system county council has been looking at, called Gen Ex, is that it turns left-over ash into an ingredient of concrete.

“I’m not hearing anybody from the county talk about dumping — we’re talking about technologies that relieve us of the need for dumps,” said Mayor Brown.

“Whatever goes to county has to speak for itself because you won’t be there to clarify,” the mayor told Councillor Campbell who was trying to decide what should be in the motion. He added, “There shouldn’t be room for misinterpretation.”

Councillor Rob Strang, stating he is an optimist on the matter said, “If Gen Ex doesn’t quite work out to be 100 per cent, then we still might wind up with a small percentage that is hard to deal with for the next few decades and we’ll deal with that and that might just be the reality.”

Councillor Doug Wilcox agreed with the mayor, stating he agrees council should be very clear in stating what they want and the goal should be to have 100 per cent waste diversion in the county.

Councillors discussed what they should send and passed a motion confirming that the Town “supports the County taking responsibility for all aspects of solid waste management under the following conditions:

1. That the County waste management system have the ability to accept all of Orangeville’s non-hazardous residential, industrial, commercial and institutional solid waste.

2. A “zero waste” management model be pursued.

3. That the waste disposal system consider all available technologies to ensure the best system is available for the residents, industries, businesses and institutional facilities in Dufferin County, having regard for the environment, levels of service, costs, etc.

4. That the costs associated with the continuing operation and closure of the existing landfills be thoroughly investigated and assigned in an equitable manner.

5. That the costs associated with the establishment of any new countywide waste management facilities be thoroughly investigated and assigned in an equitable manner.

6. That any new contracts that the Town of Orangeville may award in 2006 for its solid waste disposal be transferable to the County at some subsequent date.

A check with the respective clerks indicated that similar approvals have come or are likely from Mono, Shelburne, Melancthon, East Garafraxa and East Luther Grand Valley.