The future of the West County Regional Landfill will be discussed next month at a meeting of the West County Grande Prairie Solid Waste Management Authority.

Due to slope stability issues, the landfill has been operating as a transfer station since late last year.

“When the issue came up that there was a capacity issue with that landfill we, as an authority, had to make a decision about (next) steps,” said Sexsmith Mayor Kate Potter.

Currently, all waste from West County is being transferred to the Clairmont Centre for Recycling and Waste Management.

Potter said the authority needs to decide if the West County facility will operate as a landfill and build additional capacity or continue to work as a transfer station to Clairmont. 

“It takes time and money to open up a new cell and get that operational,” she said.

“Or do we work as a transfer station and work in conjunction with the Clairmont landfill, which the county owns by itself?”

Potter noted Sexsmith council considered the options of additional landfill cell development at an estimated capital cost of $4.40 million or converting the current site to a transfer station at an estimated cost of $2.40 million.

In any event, Potter says Sexsmith wants its residents to be able to take waste to the Clairmont site 13 kilometres away rather than to the current designated site, which is West County, 39 kilometres away.

“We’re looking at the future of the West County landfill as a part owner,” said Potter. This is something that can help both our residents and the environment and people save time.”

Likewise, Wembley Mayor Kelly Peterson has asked for the same consideration where those residents are assigned to the West County site.

“It is both financially and environmentally more efficient for residents to use the Clairmont Centre,” Peterson said in a Aug. 12 letter to the county.  “Any waste brought to the regional landfill by Wembley residents ultimately needs to be transported to the Clairmont Centre. This additional step incurs unnecessary costs for the authority, the County, Wembley, and other stakeholders.

The Clairmont facility is 25 km from Wembley, while West County is 38.

On Sept. 23, County of Grande Prairie council directed administration to request the authority allow Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley residents access to waste disposal at the Clairmont Centre.  

The Authority is a partnership of the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith, Wembley and the County of Grande Prairie, which jointly owns and operates the West County Regional Landfill.

The Clairmont Centre for Recycling and Waste Management is solely owned and operated by the County of Grande Prairie.  

County residents are eligible to receive a waste card allowing access to the Clairmont site to dispose of 1,000 kg of household waste per year for free.

Potter said the authority would discuss Sexsmith and Wembley’s request to access Clairmont at a Nov. 20 meeting.

“The county has said it needs to go back to the authority so that we can do some more work on this and see what the best situation is,” Potter said.

“When we consider a resident driving all the way out to the West County landfill, to then have that all the stuff that’s there transferred back to the Clairmont facility, both environmentally, economically and just time wise, it doesn’t make sense.

“If the West County landfill continues to operate just as a transfer station, can we just have our residents take their garbage to the Clairmont landfill instead of taking it all the way out to West County? It just becomes a cycle where the residents are spending money to drive it out, then the authority is spending money to transfer it back to Clairmont.”

Potter said the town had reached out to the county in 2019 to request that Sexsmith residents have access to the Clairmont site. She said the county indicated the costs to allow it would be an additional $80,000.

Efficiencies can be improved: Wembley

“Why would our residents go back and forth?” said Wembley Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Noreen Zhang.

Zhang also noted if West County becomes a transfer station only it will prevent residents from depositing larger items there.

“One of the things that we were looking at is another option for residents to be able to actually get rid of their recyclables or their yard waste in a bigger capacity, rather than just having a smaller load, like a truckload.

“Some might actually find that it's more convenient for them to go through the Clairmont as well, because it’s closer to them.”