Photo: RDOS

The Oliver landfill was identified nearly a month ago by RDOS staff as the best option left for a compost facility, but no further action has been taken.

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen is no closer to finding a location for its regional compost facility.

After a 45-minute board discussion Thursday, the matter was punted to the next meeting in two weeks — the same result after a conversation of the same length two weeks ago.

A motion to re-engage Summerland and Marron Valley as options for the facility was discussed, but board directors were split.

"I personally am not comfortable redirecting our staff to re-engage Marron Valley and Summerland. The information that has come forward has been clear; they don't want it," Penticton director Judy Sentes said.

"I fear we're treading on being almost offensive on going back... I'm not sure that would be well received."

Area F director Michael Brydon said "l think, like a lot of directors, I’m getting a lot of angry emails and phone calls," but pointed out the facility needs to go somewhere.

"One of the things I'm hearing... is you need 'social license' to have this kind of facility, and that no one's waste should be someone else's problem. And those are great slogans, they're great slogans. But they're bogus," Brydon said.

"You give 'social license' for someone else to treat your waste every time you put your cans at the curb or flush your toilet... We could give vetoes to all these people because they complained the loudest, but we're not solving the social problem."

One of the main problems constituents have about having a compost plant near them, Summerland Mayor Peter Waterman pointed out, was concerns of odours from the facility.

RDOS solid waste management coordinator Cameron Baughen said technology could be used to mitigate odours while treating compost and biosolids waste.

He said the worst-case scenario for cost would be $10 for each tonne, which would still be cheaper than throwing it in the garbage.

"The fact that it's $10 a tonne more is an insignificant issue compared to not having a compost at all... We should be willing at this board to ante up and tell people they have to pay it," Waterman said.

"If we've got any desire to move ahead on this, we have to start a whole new discussion."