A stop work order has been issued at a large waste site in the South Okanagan because of asbestos concerns.
This week, WorkSafeBC issued the order at 210 Green Mountain Road in Penticton, where large waste piles were left behind after Appleton Waste Services declared insolvency last year.
The waste piles, which include demolition and construction materials, are located on Penticton Indian Band land, and area residents became concerned recently when the rubbish piles began disappearing.
“Refuse site may be cross-contaminated with asbestos-containing materials,” said WorkSafeBC’s stop-work order. “All areas with parts of demolished buildings must not be accessed or disturbed.”
The land is owned by band member Adam Eneas, and had been leased by Appleton Waste Services.
When the piles began to disappear, the Penticton Indian Band sent a cease and desist letter.
Recently, a Kelowna-based company, Ecora, said it had developed a plan to remove the waste pile. In its plan, Ecora estimated the garbage weight at 3.360 tonnes.
“It will be considerable, it might take a year to go through it all and sort it all,” said Ecora president Kelly Sherman, “but the environmental plan does not involve burying any garbage.”
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