Simcoe eying Dufferin DEEPly

By WES KELLER Orangeville Citizen
Responses from Dufferin’s local municipalities on the possibility f the county assuming waste management responsibilities has been “disappointing but predictable” says Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson, chairman of the county committee responsible for development of DEEP, the Dufferin EcoEnergy Park.
The question had been put to the municipalities, four of whom have landfill sites in operation, as part of a feasibility study for the proposed thermal treatment plant in DEEP.
So far, there has been no consensus among the municipalities about the conditions under which the county should take charge. Amaranth has said there should be public meetings, and Melancthon responded that it has 75 years left for its dump.
But, on the bright side of things, neighbouring Simcoe County has charge of waste management but has been unable to develop a landfill site – and it is eying Dufferin as a possible outlet for its 65,000 annual tonnes of waste.
Stantec is Simcoe’s consultant. Recently Public Works Director Trevor Lewis responded to a Stantec questionnaire by outlining the capacity and nature of the proposed thermal treatment plant.
Mayor Crewson said in an interview that if Dufferin could attract the Simcoe waste for the DEEP project, it would enable the county to proceed with a $50-million installation with a capacity of 70,000 tonnes – sufficient to achieve economies of scale.
But the proposition becomes even better when the benefits of compost have been factored in.
The mayor said methane from the composter could be added to the gasification process as an enrichment to increase the capacity of the 70,000- tonne plant to something in the order of 85,000 tonnes, according to engineering information provided to him.
Mr. Lewis said he assumes that Stantec would have sent the questionnaire to more than just Dufferin, but he had responded with optimism.