ECOFARMS: ALTERNATIVE TO DUMPS?
The Pauze Dump was sold in March, 1992, to local entrepreneur Randy Markham who hopes to “mine” it for recyclables. Markham’s company, EcoFarms Incorporated, is looking for funding to set up a major facility at the site which would recycle 95% of all waste from municipal collections. The proposed project would also see reclamation of waste currently contained within the Pauze dump.
Markham has applied for standing at hearings on the Site 41 Landfill, which he perceives as a direct competitor to his scheme.
He says that a variety of forces beyond the simple need for a place to put garbage are behind the push to select Site 41, near Wyevale, for a new landfill for Simcoe County.
“The fact is that some local bureaucrats see it as a means of providing themselves with a long term administrative job.”
It’s a characteristic conflict between private enterprise and bureaucracy, he adds. “With our facility, a landfill wouldn’t be necessary.”
Markham says over nine years of research have gone into plans for the proposed recycling facility, which would provide employment for up to 300 people.
