The site of an old sawmill in Yarmouth is now littered with plastic and posing a potential threat to the town’s water supply, according to two concerned residents.
Garnet Horton says the town put Class-B compost on the site in September, but when he passed by he couldn’t help but notice a myriad of un-compostable items, from syringes, to used condoms, to plastic forks and spoons.
“It’s disgusting and it’s a disaster, it should never, ever, ever happen,” Horton said.
The town wants to re-introduce some nature to the site, which is a welcomed idea, but the items that aren’t compostable are cause for concern.
“I’m concerned that they’ve polluted our water shed, our water supply to the town,” Horton said. “Never mind what they’ve done to the people that live in the immediate vicinity where this stuff is done.”
People like Adam Russell, whose property is right next to the site, with the well that provides drinking water for his home and family sitting less than 20 feet away.
His family has been drinking bottled water since the compost was spread there, for fear their well has been contaminated.
“I can’t see where, you know, dumping large amounts of plastics – there’s syringes, there’s knives, there’s spoons, there’s forks, there’s bottle caps, there’s toothpicks, there’s toothbrushes, there’s…anything you can name there’s in that soil,” he told Global News.
Russell said he’s made several unanswered calls to the town to inquire about the contents of the compost that was trucked in, but hasn’t gotten a definite answer.
“It’s contamination, I mean you can’t – unless you’re a scientist and can tell me that the sun isn’t going to break down the plastics, and who knows what else is gonna wash through, you know, get into the ground water and run downhill.”
In addition, Russell said some plastic items have started to blow around and into the nearby wooded area, potentially causing a problem for wildlife.
Council to address “litter problem”
Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood acknowledges that there is a “litter problem” at the site, but maintains the compost poses no threat to the town’s water supply.
She said the town bought the land 10 years ago with the intention of reclaiming it and restoring some nature there, and they trucked in the Class-B compost to stimulate growth. Class-B compost was selected over Class-A because roots and seeds would be able to grab onto large bits like twigs and rocks, she added.
“The water is safe, the worst thing is it looks terrible,” Mood said, adding that the compost is 3-4 years old and so any pathogens would be processed out of any waste mixed in.
Mood said that she has walked the site recently, when she went to plant trees, and though she did see plastic in the soil, but she didn’t see any of the potentially dangerous items Russel and Horton described.
“I could see that there was plastic bits peeking up through, but it wasn’t to this extent,” she told Global News.
Yarmouth Town Council is scheduled to address this problem Thursday night at their council meeting. Mayor Mood says they’ll be trying to come up with a plan to take care of the site.
“We are going to do what we can to clean it up as quickly as possible,” she said.
She also said they are looking into acquiring a machine to use in the future that would help to avoid any more debris like this getting spread with other compost.
Mood couldn’t say whether the town would be willing to do testing on the town’s water right now to reassure residents, but that if anyone in the town worries for their own well water, they can have that tested.
Comments