2022 marks 20 years of the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre. Since 2002, OVWRC has worked together with local Municipalities to “walk lightly on the environment” and keep over 300,000 tonnes of recyclables, food and yard waste and construction and demolition material out of landfill. General Manager Sue McCrae says most of their programs to mark the occasion will be virtual.
The Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre is a Municipal partnership between the Town of Petawawa, the City of Pembroke, the Township of Laurentian Valley and the Township of North Algona Wilberforce. McCrae says they will be planting a special garden this year as part of their 20th anniversary.
Stay tuned to their social media platforms throughout the year to help celebrate their milestone. Over the years, they’ve been able to add on more programs.
During the last 20 years the site has seen significant changes. The Household Hazardous Waste program was expanded and continues to operate year-round along with the Electronic Waste Program which was launched in 2009. The leachate treatment system was constructed in 2010 to capture and filter ground and surface water that may be impacted by landfill operations. To compliment the leachate treatment system 108 poplar trees were planted in 2014. They help absorb and filter water before it reaches the leachate treatment system. An additional 200 trees were planted in 2017 and 1,000 in 2021. A landfill gas collection system became operational in 2011 and a Reuse Centre opened in 2015. The landfill gas collection system was expanded in 2020 with an additional 12 wells installed.
There are five current Waste Recovery Centre employees who have been there since 2001 and they recently received their 20-year service pin. Laurie Benjamin, Elizabeth Graham, Chris Hoffman, Mary Ryan and Alan Schutt all started at the Centre in November 2001 and assisted with the roll-out of the new waste management program which launched January 2, 2002.
