A pilot project to put pet waste in green bins in London, Ont., is being poo-pooed by a hamlet of residents in the city’s south-end. Among them is Allan Tipping, a one-time city council candidate. He objects to the one-year test project— fearing the collection of pet waste in two test sections of London will spread city-wide. Tipping lives in Brockley, a community of about 50 homes along Dingman Drive located near the city’s organic waste contractor. For years, he and his neighbours contended with reports of odour while the processing facility was under a previous operator. “We’ve been hit with smells from the facility for a while. Everybody knows that for over 14 years, and it’s finally turned around a little bit,” he said. “And now the city’s going to put animal waste, which we were promised would not come into the green bin.” Tipping tells CTV News the reported broken promise has forced a residents’ association to band together out of fear that “smelly” air will return. “This is not acceptable. The city’s got to wake up and see we’re here!” Tipping is demanding a seat at the table as the pilot project is rolled out. Councillor Hadleigh McAlister, who chairs the city committee that green-lit the pet poo bin concept, could only acknowledge the concern. “I understand there’s probably a group that doesn’t want it, who might be impacted near these sites,” said McAlister. “But overall, [city-wide] it is something we have heard from residents that they wanted to see when we first implemented the program.” McAlister said if the pilot program is successful, London’s pet poop could be potentially dumped in every green bin in the city. “It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight. Obviously, this pilot project will run its course, come back to the committee, and in any citywide project, there would be opportunities for public engagement.” London City Council will discuss the program at its meeting on Tuesday.
