The last a person sees of their garbage is typically at the end of the driveway, or the dumpster outside of their apartment building. It’s remarkably easy to stop paying attention at that point and go about the days’ responsibilities without having to worry about where it ends up next. Out of sight – out of mind.
But figuring out what to do with that trash, how to dispose of it, or even in some cases, how to reuse it, is an everyday decision, and for Winkler, Morden, and the RM of Stanley, those choices are made at the Solid Waste Area Management Plan landfill, which recently followed through on a land purchase of 120 acres.
Francis Fehr – the General Manager of the SWAMP landfill spoke on the thought process behind the land purchase. “In the last year or so we’ve had many discussions as far as what does the landfill look like? Where do we go after we’re full, or how do we leave it in good hands for the next generation?”
Fehr continued to elaborate on the current lifespan of the landfill, noting, “Currently we have between 60 to 65 years left on the current site. So, this would be something that we would look at in the future and it would be quite a way down the future, but it would also add probably another 60 to 65 years to our longevity.”
As for immediate plans, Fehr indicated that while the new land isn’t set to be utilized right away, it will be leased out for the time being, saying, “At this point, we’re just going to leave it and rent it out like it has been rented out in the last 20 to 30 years.”
Looking ahead to the future, Fehr discussed the challenges of growing waste output, “Different ways of repurposing and recycling are always on our radar. We do roughly 2,500 mattresses every year and get them repurposed... several thousand tires get taken away [and] batteries... We definitely are looking at what other people are doing and hopefully in the future... [we will] not even have to use the 120 acres we purchased on the side.”
Ultimately, Fehr emphasized the importance of planning for future generations. “It's all a matter of what are we leaving to our kids and the next generation? We’re trying to be aware of that, and hopefully we can do a really good job of that.”
Click below to hear the full interview with SWAMP’s General Manager Francis Fehr.