Clean-up efforts to resume at infamous Penticton-area waste pile

After a stop-work order halted clean-up efforts at a massive abandoned waste pile near Penticton, B.C., an environmental consulting firm says work has resumed.

In late June, WorkSafeBC issued the order due to asbestos concerns at 210 Green Mountain Road, where large piles of industrial and demolition waste have towered high for years.

The rubbish piles were left behind by Appleton Waste Services, which declared insolvency and cut a deal with creditors.

The land is owned by Penticton Indian Band member Adam Eneas, and had been leased by the waste disposal company.

Kelowna-based company Ecora Engineering got involved in the monumental clean-up task at no cost to the landowner as a way of giving back to the community, it said.

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Area residents and neighbouring businesses had expressed concerns about unsightliness, fire risk and the potential impact to public health and the environment.

The president of Ecora Engineering, Kelly Sherman, said 120 samples of construction waste were collected in the wake of the stop-work order, and analysts found zero traces of asbestos.

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He said the contractor has commenced removal work, but manual sorting of the waste piles likely won’t occur until 2021.

“Multiple environmental experts have reviewed the plan, and everyone is aligned on the proposed solution,” Sherman said.

He said Indigenous Services Canada and the Penticton Indian Band will support the project with onsite environmental monitoring and air quality monitoring.

“It has been excellent to see that many parties have rallied behind this initiative, and the goal of having the demolition waste issue resolved is still on track,” Sherman said.

Appleton filed a Division I proposal under the Canada Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. It is an option available to businesses to restructure debts and operations instead of filing for bankruptcy.

The company was $2.5 million in debt.

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Appleton Waste Services was incorporated in June 1993 and was purchased by the current ownership in May 2013.

It primarily acts as a transporter and processor in the waste and recycling industry, according to court documents.

Its three main operations include the processing of recyclables, roll-off collection and long-haul transportation of waste and other materials.