Application pulled for controversial waste-sorting facility in eastern P.E.I.

MyersIndustries Inc. has withdrawn its application to operate a waste-sorting facility on Baldwin's Road in eastern P.E.I., according to the province's Department of Communities, Land and Environment.

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The company collects residential waste in Kings County on behalf of the Island Waste Management Corporation.

In October of 2016, it began the process of seeking provincial approval for a new facility to sort waste, compost and recycling materials.

About three dozen people attended a public meeting in January to discuss the proposal. Most were opposed, raising concerns about potential smell, traffic, noise and pests.

The province's Standing Committee on Communities, Land and Environment had planned to hold a public meeting Wednesday night in St. Teresa to further discuss the proposal, but that meeting appears to have been cancelled.

MLA Steven Myers had raised safety concerns about the increased traffic the facility would create, particularly in relation to the number of Amish families that live in the area. The company has said it had plans in place to deal with any potential problems, including odour.

The proposed new facility would have been an improvement over the company's existing facility, which was damaged by winds, an environmental impact assessor with the province said.

A spokesperson for Myers Industries contacted by CBC News Tuesday declined to comment.

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