The only hazardous waste facility in Ontario is in conflict with some of its neighbours and some of its users could face challenges as a result.

Clean Harbours’ facility in Lambton County has been emitting odours since August and some of its neighbours are fuming mad that the problem has not yet been solved. A public meeting this week degenerated into chaos, according to one of the participants, and, with media coverage of the problem and networking through the environmental group community, the Company is likely to start feeling much greater heat.

Management of hazardous waste has not had much of a profile in Ontario in recent years but it is incidents like that at the Lambton County facility that can quickly put it back on the environmental agenda. If that occurs, not only Clean Harbours but haulers and generators of hazardous waste are likely to find that Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley causes their world to change around them.

A media account of the public meeting called by Clean Harbours to discuss the odour problem with its neighbours can be found at http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3370718

A thoughtful environmental group take on management of hazardous waste in Ontario can be found at http://www.cielap.org/pdf/HazWaste2007.pdf