Garbage crunch: Ship it, divert it, transform it?

By Miriam King Bradford West Gwillimbury Times
The County of Simcoe’s new Waste Management Strategy steering committee heard a presentation from Stantec Consulting Ltd., on possible solutions to the looming garbage crisis. The conclusion: the options are limited, in the short term.
The committee was told that the County currently handles 38,000 tonnes of residential garbage, 21,792 tonnes of recyclables collected through the Blue Box program, and 11,645 tonnes of organic trash, collected through the Green Bin program and diverted from landfill, per year. The Industrial/Commercial/Institutional sector generates another 110,000 tonnes, of which 20,000 tonnes are handled directly by the County. The rest is diverted, dropped off or shipped out of area, by private contractors.
But with only 4 operative landfill sites by the end of 2009 with a capacity of 5 to 6 years; 4 transfer stations; limited recycling and composting capacity; and a population expected to grow by 2.8% per year, the County is facing serious challenges.
Adopting the general principles of “Zero Waste” will require residents to “significantly” cut back on their waste generation, but Stantec still identified a need to improve existing waste disposal capacity, improve the efficiency of diversion programs, and work towards a long-term disposal solution. Even if the County focuses on “waste avoidance, reduction, reuse and other diversion programs… over disposal,” the move to “Zero Waste” is likely to be gradual, the consultants said – and additional disposal capacity will be needed.
Under consideration:
. Full user-pay for garbage, on the assumption that paying more per bag would push residents towards “zero waste,” since “every 5% decrease in residential waste generation would remove approx. 5,000 tonnes of waste from the system.”
. A “green” procurement policy at the County, although just a tiny fraction of the waste stream.
. A shift from weekly to bi-weekly collection.
. More recycling bins in public places, and more items added to the blue box and green bin collections. Adding pet waste and diapers to the list could increase diversion by up to 4% – but would still leave a shortage in processing capacity. The consultants suggest that the materials could either be shipped out of the County for processing, at $80 to $150 per tonne, or the County could build its own facility, at a minimum cost of $10 million. Also suggested: “single stream” collection – with sorting and diversion taking place at a central plant, not only cutting down on collection costs, but increasing diversion rates.
The proposals would help the County to manage its waste system more efficiently and effectively – but Stantec suggested that only improving the operation of existing landfill sites or shipping the waste out of the region could provide a short term solution to the garbage crunch.
Long term Options include expansion of operational Landfill Sites 10, 11 and 13; development of partially permitted landfill sites 9, 12 and 42 and/or landfill “mining” to create additional capacity at sites 9 or 12; shipping waste out of the County; and embracing new technologies, like Energy From Waste.
Three public meetings are planned to present the reports and gather public input:
. Feb. 8, Nottawasaga Inn Crystal Ballroom in Alliston, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.;
. Feb. 9, Wasaga Beach RecPlex, Oakville Room, 4:30-8:30 p.m.
. Feb. 10, North Simcoe Sports & Creation Centre’s Bill Thompson Room in Midland, 4:30-8:30 p.m. Formal presentation and question & answer period begins at 7 p.m.