Nelson City Council discussed a plan for permanent place to collect Household Hazardous Waste this week, but there were some concerns raised with the location. Hazardous waste is being dropped off at the Nelson Leafs Recycling Depot overnight, although they don’t currently accept it; the depot is hoping to change that. The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) has agreed to fund the new service for three years and Nelson council did grant approval for a one year period, pending a flood hazard strategy.

The issue that was raised is the nearby creek. The depot is located on a floodplain and is approximately 26 meters from the creek. There was concern, especially from Councillor Jesse Woodward who is also the former director of the Cottonwood Markets.

“That’s a critical, critical piece because the creek could definitely flood. With my experience as the markets director down there over seven years I did see that creek come really close to flooding, that was a big concern for me. So I would like to see them have a robust flood mitigation plan.”

One the other hand, Councillor Woodward says he sees the pros of dealing with the hazardous waste.

“It’s not the best location, but it is a temporary location until a better location is secured. I’m not totally happy with that decision, but I’d rather it being collected and dealt with than put into our environment.”

According to the City of of Nelson, the depot is aware of these issues and has worked with staff to address some of the concerns. They have placed the containers as far away from the creek and storm drain as possible. The organization has also submitted a Health and Safety Plan to manage the hazardous waste, which includes procedures for spills and accidents.

The RDCK has anticipated that just under 30,000 residents from the region will use the service. Nelson City staff have concerns that the catchment area may be larger than the RDCK anticipates, and that the Leaf’s will be servicing a catchment area beyond Areas E and F.

To learn more about the Nelson Leafs Recycling Depot, click here.