GFL Environmental Inc. - Environmental Compliance Approval (waste)

Summary of public concerns and response are provided below:

1. Need for additional air monitoring in the area.

   Response: This is deemed to be outside the scope of the technical review requirements for the proposed amendment to the site waste approval. 

2. installation of continuous air quality monitoring stations around all sides of the landfill property. Monitoring parameters should include nitrogen oxides, ammonia, particulate matter (PM 2.5/PM 10), total reduced sulfur (TRS), and ozone.

   Response: This is deemed to be outside the scope of the technical review requirements for the proposed amendment to the site waste approval. 

3. Lower the MECP limits, air emissions from the treatment plant such as ammonia and hydrogen sulphides.

   Response: This is deemed to be outside the scope of the technical review requirements for the proposed amendment to the site waste approval. 

4. Does the landfill effluent fully comply with city of Hamilton sewer use bylaw.?

   Response: The discharge to the City’s sewer system is authorized by the City of Hamilton, and the ministry is not responsible or stakeholder in such municipal approvals. It is up to the City to set acceptable effluent quality standards via municipal approval issued to GFL and enforce the approved authorization requirements via on-going municipal inspection mechanism. 

5. Conduct a community health study as a requirement of the new ECA.

   This is deemed to be outside the scope of the technical review requirements for the proposed amendment to the site waste approval.

6. Expedited site closure.

   Response: This is deemed to be outside the scope of the technical review requirements for the proposed amendment to the site waste approval. That said, the Site is required to submit a closure plan when 90% of the approved waste capacity has been exhausted at the site.  

7. Concern with any construction work that would enlarge the landfill by quarrying or mechanically breaking up the bedrock at the north end of landfill which wood cause excess noise and vibrations.

   Response: No landfill expansion is being considered or requested by GFL at this time. The proposal is to construct an on-Site landfill leachate treatment system to reduce odour concerns associated with the current practice of managing landfill leachate, i.e. collection of landfill leachate in the leachate pond. Once the leachate treatment system is functional, the treated effluent will be directly discharge to the municipal sewer system via force main, and the landfill leachate will not be pumped to an on-site leachate holding pond for disposal to the municipal city sewer system. 

8. GFL not be allowed to expand this facility at all, as they cannot even control the emissions coming from the land they are currently using.

   Response: The facility expansion is not being considered and the proposal is to construct on-site leachate treatment system in an enclosed building to remove odour causing compounds from the landfill leachate and discharge of treated leachate into the City’s sanitary sewer as per the City’s authorization. 

9. LTS should be approved after incorporating state-of-the-art odour control technologies.

   Response: The LTS being approved includes physical and chemical treatment process to remove odour causing compounds to a concentration of about 20 mg/L compared to the measured concentrations of 330 and 560 milligrams per litres in the untreated landfill leachate. The odour causing compounds once removed/reduced from the leachate will be treated further using various filters before discharging them to the environment, and for that, GFL is seeking to amend the facility current air discharge approval.

10. GFL Environmental Inc. be held accountable for any odour emissions exceeding acceptable thresholds.

    Response: This is an abatement and enforcement issue which is looked after by the ministry’s Abatement Office, and hence, is deemed to be  beyond the scope of this technical evaluation. 

11. Lack of effective communication and transparency from GFL Environmental Inc. regarding the facility's operations and the proposed changes. Regular, clear communication is provided to residents regarding odour incidents and mitigation.

    Response: A communication mechanism, i.e. community liaison committee (CLC), is part of the site current approval. Condition 3.3 of the site current approval requires GFL to provide the CLC and the City consultants reports relating to the Site including copies of the annual reports.