Birthday party for dump draws 600
Conscientious recycling extends life expectancy of Halton waste facility
Happy birthday! For a pile of rotting garbage, you’re not looking too shabby.
It may sound rude, but about 600 Halton residents gathered to say just that to the region’s dump on Saturday.
Halton is proud of its massive trash heap — with good reason.
The only remaining landfill in the GTA, the site was constructed in 1992 and expected to fill by 2012.
But because of progressive recycling and composting programs, officials now expect the facility to remain open until at least 2040.
“It’s a great achievement,” said John Watson, education co-ordinator at the facility.
“We’ve definitely reduced the amount of garbage coming here, so we’re quite proud of that fact.”
Toronto, York and Peel regions either ship their garbage outside the GTA or incinerate it.
The Milton site was built to resemble a quiet farm, with painted “barns” housing waste management facilities. A recycling centre, compost heap, hazardous materials depot, Salvation Army drop-off and a paint recycling site mean that as few items as possible wind up in the dump. Old crutches and canes are rounded up and shipped to an African aid agency. The methane gas produced by the landfill is converted to electricity that powers 600 local homes. “There’s so many interesting things about this facility,” said Watson. “Residents have always been really enthusiastic about it.” But for the kids who flocked to the birthday party, two things stood out: Xena the Warrior Princess, and heavy machinery.
The princess is the landfill’s bird of prey, a tethered hawk who scares off seagulls and keeps them from scattering garbage.
The heavy machinery was a hit with Thomas Ruscitti, 4, who calls the side compactor “Spike.”
“It’s my favourite because it crushes everything,” he said. Thomas could name each machine and its function: back loader, front loader, soil compactor, side compactor. “All he talks about is garbage trucks,” said dad Marco Ruscitti with a grin.
Ruscitti remembers when the site was constructed. “It’s pretty remarkable,” he said. “All of this used to be farmland.” Fernando Pica, of Oakville, brought his kids so they could see where their trash goes. “It’s a good learning experience, so they understand the importance of recycling.”
Carolina Pica, 6, stacked blue bins nearby. She said she always separates out her recycling. “If you don’t, the garbage men have to do more work.”