Owen Sound is going to be reviewing how it operates the leaf and yard waste compost site, as costs rise amid an influx of commercial and non-resident users.
The facility on 28th Avenue East is right near the city’s border with the Municipality of Meaford.
A review of long-term operations at the city’s compost site was one of 16 options Dillon Consulting identified for further evaluation in its draft waste management strategy update for Owen Sound.
Hiring part-time waste management staff, cutting down on “illegal dumping” through improved by-law compliance and forming partnership agreements with neighbouring municipalities for resident access are some suggestions for the site moving forward.
The compost site also came up during Owen Sound budget deliberations as staff identified a need for additional funding to cover the cost of annual wood grinding operations at the site, which averaged a $72,000 deficit from 2019-22.
City manager Tim Simmonds says a report will be coming to the city’s operations committee in September with a full overview and business model of the compost site — to either make it cost-neutral or used the way it’s intended… by Owen Sound residents.
“Right now, to be quite honest, it is a regional service we are providing to the county, absolutely,” Simmonds told councillors during budget discussions. “Speaking with people … they’ve witnessed landscape companies outside of Owen Sound pull-in, fill-up flatbeds full of soil and leave, and dump stuff off. We’re going to be tackling that.”