A public hearing about community composting attracted dozens of West Island residents Wednesday night.
The city of Montreal is planning to install a large-scale composting facility in Dorval that would service the western half of the island, and that has many people concerned about noise and a possible stench.
Dorval resident Paul Wilkinson also worries about losing greenspace .
The compost facility in Dorval would be built on what is currently a golf course.
"There are millions of square feet of industrial space just sitting in St. Laurent, not near residential areas, and to me that's where you start looking," said Wilkinson.
St. Laurent borough mayor Alan De Sousa says the plan is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.
"I think the idea of composting is long overdue," said De Sousa.
The plan calls for a total of four composting facilities.
The one in Dorval along with another in St. Michel would produce compost from organic waste, while centres in LaSalle and Montreal East would harvest methane from rotting waste.
"Biomethanation is done without the use of air. As a result of the process you have a biogas that is produced and that could be used to produce energy," said De Sousa.
The mayor of Dorval does not think the compost centre would have a big impact on residents, but he is concerned about infrastructure around Aviation St.
"The agglomeration council has to come up to fix the road, because there is some infrastructure to be done for the road," said Mayor Edgar Rouleau.
If the projects are approved, the city will launch a call for tenders in 2012, with a 2015 completion date.
