The GTA-based company planning to expand a Dresden waste site has changed the venue of an upcoming information meeting to accommodate additional members of the community.
York1 Environmental Waste Solutions Ltd. will now be hosting a presentation on Saturday at The Wheelhouse at 547 North St. at 1 p.m. to provide details on a proposed Regenerative Recycling Facility at 29831 Irish School Road.
The information presentation was initially planned to be held at Dresden’s Christ Church for immediate neighbours only, however, a spokesperson for York1 told CKXS News that the venue was changed “due to public interest.”
The Wheelhouse has a capacity limit of 100 people and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Those living within 500 meters of the Irish School Road site will be given priority.
According to York1, there will also be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.
A second meeting is also planned for March 1 at the Ken Houston Memorial Agricultural Centre, which will be limited to the first 300 attendees.
York1 submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks last week to increase the area of the waste processing site on Irish School Road to 25 hectares and allow for up to 7,000 tonnes of waste to be received by the facility each day; this includes 6,000 tonnes of non-hazardous solid waste, such as construction waste, demolition waste, and excess soil for beneficial reuse, and another 1,000 tonnes of residual waste.
According to information published online by York1, its planned Regenerative Recycling Facility will primarily be focused on construction materials and will not accept hazardous materials.
The proposal has drawn criticism from Dresden residents who are concerned about the impact the expanded waste site will have on their community. Residents even held a meeting of their own Thursday evening at the Dresden Rotary Club.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent issued a statement earlier this week to address the matter and said officials are currently gathering additional information and will be seeking advice from technical experts regarding York1’s application.