One less hazardous waste in Ontario: automotive aluminum sludge delisted
The line between “hazardous” and “non-hazardous” waste is often drawn in a somewhat arbitrary way, sometimes for historical reasons. Occasionally, it is possible to persuade the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to readjust the line. Canadian automotive manufacturer…
View the post titled One less hazardous waste in Ontario: automotive aluminum sludge delistedBig fine for dumping waste cooking oil sludge
Green Diesel Canada Ltd. processes waste cooking oil, which generates an oil sludge requiring proper disposal. On two occasions, thousands of litres of an oily substance were found in a local ditch, which led to a creek that flows into Lake Ontario. The City of Hamilton cleaned up the mess b…
View the post titled Big fine for dumping waste cooking oil sludgeStrong opposition to sewage processing facility foiled by filing error
Lystek’s controversial sewage sludge processing facility in Southgate, Ontario, will not face an appeal of its Environmental Compliance Approvals, because opponents, after fighting the facility for so long, made a critical error in seeking leave to appeal. See Green v. Ontario.
View the post titled Strong opposition to sewage processing facility foiled by filing errorWaste exemption becomes less useful: what is "wholly used"?
The Environmental Review Tribunal has reduced the usefulness of an important exception to the “waste” rules in Regulation 347.
View the post titled Waste exemption becomes less useful: what is "wholly used"?Compost rules have been finalized
Three years after the initial consultation, Ontario now has new rules for composting and the use of compost.
View the post titled Compost rules have been finalizedCompost maker fined $125,000
Compost maker Scott Environmental Group Limited has been fined $125,000 plus the 25% victim fine surcharge, for breaching multiple conditions of its Certificate of Approval. Scott (operating as Norterra Organics in Kingston) pleaded guilty to accepting too much daily waste, storing more than…
View the post titled Compost maker fined $125,000Banning sludge spreading?
The Québec Court of Appeal has struck down a municipal bylaw banning the spreading of sludge, on the ground that it exceeds the municipality’s jurisdiction.
View the post titled Banning sludge spreading?Polluter must pay for cleanup, twice
It’s not safe for a polluter to trust a subsequent owner to clean up contamination, even if the polluter has specifically paid for the cleanup, and even if the new owner signs a contract relieving the original polluter of liability. None of this will prevent environmental regulators from ord…
View the post titled Polluter must pay for cleanup, twiceSewage biosolids consultation
The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment is wrapping up consultation on its proposed Canada-wide Approach for the Management of Wastewater Biosolids. The policy is intended to encourage the “beneficial use and sound management of valuable resources in municipal biosolids, m…
View the post titled Sewage biosolids consultationHungarian sludge spill and our tailings ponds
The Hungarian sludge spill disaster is just another reminder of the large scale havoc and devastation that industrial sludge impoundments can create. Every few years we read about another one. On April 25, 1998, a tailings dam failure of the Los Frailes lead-zinc mine at Aznalcóllar near Sev…
View the post titled Hungarian sludge spill and our tailings pondsReceive Blog Posts
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