Friday, March 10, 2000
Foes get time to fight medical waste facility
BY KRISTINA GOETZ
The Cincinnati Enquirer
WALTON — Boone County residents who don't want a facility that would shred and sanitize medical waste near them will have a little more time to prepare their arguments.
A public hearing was scheduled this week on the proposed facility, but was postponed until 6:30 p.m. March 29 because of time constraints at the Boone County Board of Adjustments meeting.
Sanitec of Kentucky is seeking a conditional use permit to build a facility that would pulverize medical waste — IV needles, soiled clothes and blood packs — to 20 percent of its original volume.
Company officials say the method, which includes mechanically unloading the waste, treating it with steam and then microwaving it, is safe.
But resident Steve Turner, who lives near the site on Frogtown Road, said he's worried about inadequate roads in the area and that there is no public water.
“The road has a lot of truck traffic,” Mr. Turner said. “I'm afraid of collisions with trucks.”
The area also has a lot of wildlife.
“I'm afraid animals could get into it,” he said.
Mr. Turner hired an attorney to see if he could help argue the location is not a good place for the facility.
Brandon Voelker, a Coving ton attorney, said Sanitec of Kentucky will be bringing in more waste from other states when Northern Kentucky's goal should be reducing its own.
“The conditional permit should not be granted,” Mr. Voelker said. “The dump has a capacity that will eventually run out. Land is the one resource we don't have more of.”
Mr. Voelker also is concerned about the safety of nearby residents.
“They claim it's safe,” he said. “I don't know enough at this point.”
Bob Jennings, a spokesman for the company, said officials will show a 13-minute video to explain the sanitation process and answer questions at the public hearing.
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