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Cleanup Begins at St. Mary's to Remove Decades-Old Fish Sauce

Provincially funded crews are solidifying more than 900,000 litres of fermented waste with peat moss for sealed disposal in a Summerside landfill cell.

Overview

  • Work started this week as Sharp Management crews began cutting open 110 legacy tanks and draining fermented fish sauce that has stunk the town for decades.
  • The tanks hold roughly 3,000 gallons each, totaling over 900,000 litres of waste that will be mixed with peat moss to turn the sludge into a solid for transport.
  • More than 200 truckloads will carry the stabilized material to a provincially designated, lined 2,000 cubic-metre organic-waste cell in Summerside where it will be sealed.
  • The Newfoundland and Labrador government budgeted C$2 million for the project in 2025 while the town covered a temporary loan of about C$198,000 and costs are reported at roughly C$1.7–2.0 million.
  • Local residents led a years-long campaign to force action, and officials expect the removal operation to continue through the summer with completion targeted by October 2026.