Success Story - In Communities

Swan Hills Treatment Centre, AECom Canada Ltd.

For the employees at Swan Hills Treatment Centre, operated by Earth Tech/AECom Canada Ltd., treating waste from across Canada is a daily business, but last September that all changed.

Plant Manager, Don Freckleton, attended a community council meeting to hear a growing concern over the illegal dumping in a clearing just outside of town. The once-popular camping area had become a site for domestic waste, appliances, and old furniture. Residents were complaining and the issue was making headlines.

Within a week, Freckelton had marshaled eight of his 122 employees, along with a couple of trucks, and spent a day and a half returning the area to its natural state. “When we were done, it was like nothing had been there. It was just a nice cleared area,” said Freckelton.

The employees removed a total of 28 truckloads (3/4 ton truck) of garbage to be placed in the Swan Hills landfill.

“It was a great way to help out the community and team-building effort,” he added.

“For a corporate citizen, it was also a good gesture.”

Seven months later, the employees returned to the area to discover that it was still free of garbage.

“When you put your mind to it, making a difference to the environment is pretty simple,” he said.