Proposed organics processing facility planning shifts to site selection

New Tecumseth Free Press Online

Simcoe County, six years removed from the protracted and bitter fight lost to opponents of its proposed landfill site in Elmvale (Site 41), prepares to embark on a new site selection process, this time to develop and operate an organics processing facility, whose end results would divert waste from landfills.

Next Tuesday, County councillors will be asked to approve a process which will include: site evaluation criteria applied to County-owned properties; the methodology to seek willing vendor privately-owned sites be initiated and site evaluation criteria applied to these sites; and the short list of viable sites (County and/or privately-owned) be presented to County Council for direction following the evaluation process.

While a central location is ideal, the report to County council on the Feb. 26th meeting agenda, suggests it “is not essential in that curbside collection vehicles could utilize the facility directly or feedstock could be consolidated at a centrally-located transfer point and hauled.”

The County collects approximately 25,000 tonnes of organic material from green bins, leaf and yard waste. That doesn’t include those same items disposed in garbage bags. Currently, organic materials collected within Simcoe County are transferred to AIM Waste Management Inc. in Hamilton, at a cost of $108/tonne processing and approximately $30/tonne transfer and haulage (by County).

The County is using the Guelph Organic Waste Processing Facility, which opened in September, 2011, as its model.

“This 30,000 tonne per year in-vessel facility contains a tipping floor, pre-processing equipment, several in-vessel composting tunnels, a final screening line and an enclosed compost curing line. The total plant occupies an area of approximately 1 ha (overall Guelph site is approximately 11 ha), is in proximity to residents, and occupies a space that previously held a first-generation composting facility. Of particular note, Guelph generates approximately 10,000 tonnes per year of SSO, so the additional capacity has been sold to neighbouring municipalities, in particular the Region of Waterloo. While the OWPF did encounter some commissioning issues, its operating history is very good, in part because of an advanced odour abatement system including ammonia scrubbers to remove ammonia prior to biofiltration, a cooling system to modify/lower air temperatures to within the normal range for biofiltration, and a three-cell inorganic media biofilter followed by a 47 m stack for dispersion of the treated air.”

A Simcoe County facility, following a revised schedule, would begin operation in 2019. It was originally estimated to cost about $30-$35 million, but that would be fleshed out following a preferred site selection.

“Evaluation of both public and private sites will again ensure a comprehensive process and that the most robust site is selected. Existing County-owned sites within the search area will consist of open and closed waste facilities, County forest tracts, and vacant lots that are currently undeveloped. There are expected to be over one hundred potential County sites for consideration,” according to the reported prepared by Stephanie Mack, Special Projects Supervisor. “Privately-owned sites will also be considered alongside County-owned sites. It is proposed that working with the County’s Procurement, Fleet & Property Department, a preliminary search be conducted on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of the Canadian Real Estate Association to identify potential sites. In addition, a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) is proposed that will seek willing vendors with privately-owned sites. It is anticipated that if any of these site(s) move forward to the short list, an Option to Purchase Agreement will be extended to the property owner(s).”