By Paul Morden, From www.theobserver.ca The Observer
An industry service company says it plans to seek provincial environmental approval to carry out industrial waste recycling on the former Fibrex Insulations site on Sarnia’s Scott Road.
Newalta Corporation is holding a public open house June 18, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Lambton Inn to provide information about the plan and the environmental screening process.
District manager Tim Bechard said Newalta has been leasing the former Fibrex site for more than a year and has reached an agreement to purchase the 10-acre site.
“Ultimately we’ll have to demolish the building that’s here — because it’s really not suited to our purposes — and start from scratch,” he said.
Demolition of the old Fibrex building could begin later this year, possibly followed next year by construction of an office building for about a dozen or so workers, as well as garage for the company’s trucks, he said.
Newalta offers mobile recycling services carried out on customers’ sites.
“That eliminates the need to transport materials, if you can do it on the customer’s site and give the product back to them,” Bechard said.
As an example, he said Newalta carried out a project last year locally where more than two million litres of waste oil was recovered.
The environmental approval the company is planning to seek would allow recycling to also be carried out at the Scott Road property.
“There won’t be any waste recycling, processing, recovery equipment facilities built until we get our permits from the Ministry of the Environment,” Bechard said.
Newalta is a Calgary-based company with 80 sites across Canada and about 2,500 employees. Bechard said 22 people are working in Sarnia and that number could grow to 35 or 40 once environmental approvals for the Scott Road site are in place.
“We’re focused on recycle and recovery,” he said. “So, there will be no final waste disposal of any kind taking place on this property.”
The work to be carried is expected to include wastewater collection and possible treatment.
But, Bechard said the company’s main focus is hydrocarbon recovery.
“We have centrifuge operations, and other technologies, where we’re able to take waste hydrocarbon streams and clean them up,” he said.
That involves separating water and suspended solids so the hydrocarbons can be recovered, wastewater treated, and the solids recycled or disposed of elsewhere, Bechard said.
The company’s service allows industrial waste to be diverted from landfill and incineration, Bechard said.
“Our focus is on the petrochemical industry, but we’re looking at a broader service area,” he said
“It could encompass Ontario, Michigan and beyond.”
The open house will include a general introduction of the proposal, as well as an introduction of consultants working for Newalta. The open house will also allow the company to consult with the public about studies to be carried out as part of the environmental screening.
Bechard said that could include studies on impacts on ground water, air quality noise, traffic, natural environment and others.
“And then we would go away, over the course of the summer and into the fall, and do those studies, and do our detailed engineering.”
That is expected to be followed by a public open house the fall to show what the company is planning to build, as well as provide information on impacts and how the company will deal with them, Bechard said.
An application to Ontario’s Ministry of Environment is expected to follow late this year, or early in 2014, he said.
Public meetings are also being held for the Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
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