Waste Not, Want Not: The Application and Use of Biosolids in British Columbia’s Rural Urban Fringe

• Main Authors: Rookes, Carley, Windhorst, Rachel, Goodall, Kim
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Digital Commons @ TRU Library 2016
• Subjects: Geography; Fort George; First Nations
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.library.tru.ca/urc/2016/Posters/34

Conflict over land use in the rural-urban fringe has long been a challenge facing residents, planners, local governments, and First Nations. Recently, a group of citizens from Merritt, BC purchased a 320-acre parcel of land from Bio Central Ltd. to keep the company from spreading treated human waste (biosolids) over the property. This contentious issue affects peri-urban areas of many communities in BC and shows no signs of abating. The purpose of our research is to investigate the use of biosolids in the rural-urban fringes of the Thompson Nicola and Fraser Fort George Regional Districts and examine the conflicts that accompany its distribution using a political ecology perspective. A literature review encompassing peer reviewed articles and case studies was undertaken, and relevant policy documents were sourced from different levels of government. In addition, Google Earth was utilized for site analysis, and mainstream news and social media sources were included to provide background information. Our preliminary results indicate that the application of biosolids in populated areas has seen strong opposition from several groups, creating tension between biosolid companies, government, area residents and those who oppose the use of biosolids near their properties. In conclusion, the application of treated waste sewage will be a contested land-use issue in the rural-urban fringe until such time that government creates a waste management policy that is acceptable for all stakeholders.