A few weeks ago, representatives from a handful of waste management companies pitched the need for a biomass incinerator for the local landfill to residents at open houses in Pincher Creek, Blairmore and Lundbreck.

The representatives said an incinerator would be the best way to dispose of the increasing amount of agricultural plastics and animal carcasses that show up at the landfill but at the open house in Blairmore’s Elks Hall, some residents expressed concern over air, water and soil pollution.

“Being a landfill neighbour and having the landfill within the view of my home my concerns are really deep,” said Kelsey Galbraith. “How’s this going to affect us?”

Steve Meldrum, CEO of Eco Waste Solutions, said the incinerator would burn a mix of carcasses, plastics and wood waste. He said the type of plastics being combusted would generate low levels of gasses.

Meldrum said the Eco Waste Solutions incinerator would dispose of waste in a two-stage process that would heat waste to 1000°C. He said particulate matter would not be a concern because there is no air injected into the first chamber to aid in the combustion process.

Cody Halleran, spokesperson for North Shore Environmental Consultants, presented air quality assessments and dispersion modeling made using five years of meteorological data to simulate how pollutants from the incinerator would spread.

“The max concentrations all occur within the landfill itself,” he said. “The further away you get from your source, the concentration gets lower and lower and that’s a positive thing.”

Halleran’s summary shows that the emissions would typically be blown westward. These emissions would be extremely low. Halleran said air quality in the area when the incinerator is in use would be much better than a typical day in urban areas like Calgary or Lethbridge.

However, the incinerator would submit small amounts of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride and other gasses and particulates.

The Pincher Creek Echo is reporting that the project’s rough budget would be $4.5 million to $5 million. The project could take more than two-and-a-half years to complete.

Emile Saindon, the landfill manager, said the Crowsnest/Pincher Creek Landfill is processing an increasing number of animal carcasses and agricultural plastics in the form of silage bags.

The landfill currently processes more than 900 tonnes of pig, chicken and wildlife carcasses per year. If approved to dispose of beef carcasses, it would process upwards of an additional 600 tonnes per year.

Saindon said the carcasses might increase the spread of disease and attract predators if not properly disposed of.

The landfill also receives an average of 115 tonnes of silage bags per year. Silage bags and other agricultural plastics can be recycled if they are clean enough. However, if these items are put in the landfill, the plastics don’t decompose.

The landfill needs to make an amendment to the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) to obtain an operating license for the biomass incinerator. The proposed application submission date is January 2017.