Heather Wright/The Independent

Peter Pickfield says there are still major issues that have to be worked out with WM’s expansion plans. 

The leader of Warwick Township’s Peer Review Team told council Monday WM believes its study on the effects of an expansion which will add 12 years to the life of the Twin Creeks Landfill is complete. 

But he and his team of scientists still have some big questions that need answers.

WM wants to extend the life of the landfill by building 285 feet berms and piling more waste on top of the cells that are already there.

The company has been working through the Environmental Assessment process, but Pickfield told council “there are a lot of significant gaps in deficiencies in some key areas related to impacts that have to be addressed.”

Some of the biggest questions to be answered is how piling more garbage on top of the existing landfill cells will affect the original construction of the landfill.

“They haven’t properly studied the densities of waste and how they’re going to impact the infrastructure, the landfill, the leachate collection system, the gas collection system,” he said.

The Peer Review Team and council have been corresponding with WM about its concerns through the process, but Pickfield says there have been no solutions to the issues Warwick wants addressed.

“Sometimes, if we just get involved in these exchange of information, we don’t come together on terms of some solutions,” Pickfield said. And since there is a “high potential that this landfill could get approved in some form for this expansion” Pickfield doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to make what’s there better and ensure the expansion causes no harm to the community.

Council agreed there needed to be more answers and authorized the Peer Review Team to set up meetings.

Pickfield suggested if WM still won’t listen to their concerns, they may have to point out the problems to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.