Company visits leave residents confused about Ottawa compost plant

Residents who live near a proposed Ottawa compost plant say they have been told the facility will be processing diapers, even though the City of Ottawa won't be accepting diapers or pet waste as part of its new green bin program.

Mike Alexander, who lives a few hundred metres from the proposed site at Rideau and Hawthorne Roads, said an official from Orgaworld, the Dutch company hired by the city to build and run the plant, visited his home recently.

"He told us they're going to be processing diapers — next year," Alexander said.

He suggested that could mean the company has plans to expand the plant.

Other residents said they'd heard similar things from the company.

Ward Janssens, manager of international operations for Orgaworld, said Alexander and other residents misunderstood what he told them when he visited last week.

Orgaworld's contract with the City of Ottawa is for organic waste such as kitchen scraps and yard waste, to be collected from homes starting next year.

"That is excluding diapers and plastic bags," Janssens said.

There is a schedule in the contract to include diapers if the city pays $2.4 million more, he added, but that would require eight months of changes to the plant, including the installation of new machinery.

Albert Shamess, the manager in charge of solid waste for the city, acknowledged the clause exists, but said composting diapers is not part of the city's current plan.

"I've had no indication from anyone on council that they are reconsidering that approach," he added.

The city's environment committee is to consider Monday whether to review the composting program six months after its launch in fall 2009.