Several years of investment in upgrades to the Creston landfill have landed the site a Crystal Moose Award for the most improved landfill in B.C.
The award is given annually by the consulting firm of Sperling Hansen Associates, the province’s landfill specialists.
“The changes that have been made have been phenomenal,” Regional District of Central Kootenay Area B director John Kettle said on Tuesday. “Kudos to our staff for implementing the changes.”
Kettle, who also chairs the RDCK board, said the improvements have included bear fencing, cutting back and stabilizing slopes, blasting to expand usability of the site and provide rock products that don’t need to be trucked in and the first phase of a closure plan, in which filled areas are covered with a geo-membrane, then grassed over.
“It looks like a park on that covered area,” Kettle said. “It’s beautiful.”
Additionally, operator training and the purchase of a steel plate cover system to reduce exposure of waste before it is covered with soil have contributed to site improvement.
“This is a good indication of the commitment the regional district has made to work with our neighbours, the Lower Kootenay Band,” Kettle said. “It is also a commitment to excellence that will allow us never to have to look back and say, ‘We screwed that up.’ ”
The RDCK’s Mike Morrison, resource recovery manager, accepted the award on March 30 at the Solid Waste Association of North America conference.