As a contractor who makes frequent use of waste disposal facilities, I was happy to see that the Olds Eco Site would continue to operate. Convenience is good.
However, having visited the facility last week, I can only express horror at what I see as a disaster in waiting.
Apparently no material has been removed from the site since my last visit some months ago – one of the issues that demanded its closing.
The main building is stuffed with cardboard waste to capacity. Bales of salvaged baler twine the county solicited from farmers for recycling are lined up outside, along with other stacks of baled waste. There's not even much room to manoeuvre a truck among the accumulated junk.
A fire at this plant would be a disaster, and when it happens, not only will it be an environmental problem, it will certainly demand the evacuation of at least part of Olds.
As for facilities to accept waste, there is one large bin with no real access. Short people need not try. It's pretty tough for an old guy like myself to lift a five-foot window and try to lever it into the almost full bin.
If we want to keep this facility – as I do – we'd better make some serious effort to clean it up and make it more user-friendly. The big question is, do we really have a plan to deal with the inevitable waste of our county?
Hans Ullmann
Harmattan
