Warning: The details and images in this story may be upsetting for some readers
In 2014, Sanimax, a meat rendering company, had a truck incident near its processing plant in Rivieres-des-Prairies causing a big trauma to the neighbourhood. Keep reading to find details of Sanimax truck incident spilled part of the load of animal entrails into road prepared by Nghe Ngong
1. Background of Sanimax truck incident
Sanimax is a meat rendering company, which collects and processes animals and meat by-products. Their processing plant in Their operation had been complained and sued over the past few years for contaminating the surrounding area with odour, truck traffic and water.
On Tuesday, 23rd Oct. 2018, one of Sanimax truck was cut off forcing the truck driver to slam his brake on Henri Bourassa Boulevard in the Montreal borough of Rivière-des-Prairies. Due to a sudden and forceful stop, the contents of the truck – including animal guts and entrails – were jolted, resulting in their spillage from under a poorly secured tarpaulin. Sanimax truck incident caused a dispersion of the entrails across the road, splattering nearby objects in the process.
2. The impact of Sanimax truck incident.
The incident sent entrails flying all over the boulevard, up in tree branches and caused a unbearable smell. Residents had described Sanimax truck incident as “a scene out of a horror movie” or “Utter disgust”, or “The smell was unbelievable. I had a hard time keeping my dinner in”, etc.
Sanimax was reported to send crews to clean up the spill in 2 and half hours.
However, this incident was not an isolated case of spillage for Sanimax. The company had has a history of similar spills, and local residents had have expressed concerns beyond spills. For a long time, they had been complaining about the persistent odors emanating from the nearby meat rendering plant operated by the company.
Neighbours said they wanted Sanimax to hermetically seal their trucking containers pointing to the truck on Tuesday, whose contents were covered by a tarp using bungee cords.
3. Fighting for Sanimax’s improvement
Residents in the neighbourhood had been calling for community meetings, speaking to borough councillor Manuel Guedes to address all the problems caused by the opeartion of Sanimax, and to identify any possible solutions.
Guedes suggested the company should construct an enclosed and hermetically sealed garage while also equipping their delivery trucks with specialized filters to effectively contain and mitigate the unpleasant odors. “We want Sanimax to take initiatives … and to show some good faith.” Said Guedes.
Since 2014, Sanimax has been fined $800,000 for various violations of environmental regulations. But they have been fighting on court saying they had had investing $70 millions over the past 15 years to improve its facilities and logistic system.
A statement from the borough said Sanimax truck incident had been added to the file that had already been before the courts. The borough and residents had had taken the situation seriously to make Sanimax do better to adapt to the changing neighbourhood.
