Context
The management of Municipal Solid Waste in North America is undergoing a period of dramatic transition – from a system focused on collection and disposal to a system where waste is seen by some as a valuable resource.
Key principles of Sustainable Solid Waste Management:
• Reduce waste overall through changes to packaging and better management of resources
• Reuse materials where practical, such as wood and brick from construction, or sand from street sweepings
• Recycle materials that require re-processing, such as paper and plastics to create economic opportunities in Winnipeg
• Close the carbon and nutrient loop through collection and recycling of food waste, and collection and composting of yard waste providing the potential for gas generation and soil enrichment
The City of Winnipeg is currently served by three major landfills, including Brady Landfill, and two private facilities located in the Rural Municipalities of Rosser and Richot. Based on the available land and current disposal rates, the life span of the Brady landfill is estimated to be 100 years. Tipping fees in the Winnipeg region are also considerably lower than in other parts of North America and Europe. Both of these characteristics effectively eliminate two of the major economic drivers for developing a more sophisticated solid waste management plan.
So the situation with solid waste is similar to the situation with our water supply, that is, we are not necessarily in a crisis. We cannot, however, simply squander the resource.
The Technological Shift…
We are just setting out on the path to the target of zero-waste. With emergent technologies it is now possible to divert 60 to 70 per cent of waste from disposal using management practices that focus on two key areas:
1. Zero-Waste – Diverting reusable materials from landfill disposal by sorting recyclable or compostable materials at the source (homeowner / business / industry) ; and
2. Resource Recovery Facilities – technologies to assist in recapturing the embodied energy in waste, such as thermal treatment systems for garbage residuals, anaerobic digestion, stabilized landfills, as well as capturing gas (methane) generated by landfills.
So, without getting too detailed on methods, the solid waste industry is transitioning from a low-tech municipal service to a high-tech service with market potential that is attracting private sector interest and investment. Two communities that have embraced the new technologies include the City of Toronto which has implemented a number of innovative measures on the diversion side and Munster, Germany which has implemented a number of sophisticated resource recovery facilities at the landfill end.
The City of Toronto has recently implemented a source separated organics (SSOs) recycling program in addition to its comprehensive dry materials recycling program. The SSO system takes both yard wastes and food wastes using a dedicated green bin system. Regular dry recyclables such as plastics, paper, cardboard and glass are still collected in blue bins, while non-recyclable garbage is collected in grey bins. The bins are designed to allow for automated or semi-automated refuse collection. The goal of this program is to divert 70% of the current residential waste stream. This is more than three times Winnipeg’s current residential diversion/recycling rate of roughly 20%.
On the other side of the Atlantic is the City of Munster, Germany which has developed an extremely sophisticated resource recovery and disposal centre that includes a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), a co-generation heat and power station facility using landfill and anaerobic digester gas and a composting area. A large portion of the heat and power is derived from source separated organics which is used as a feedstock for specifically dedicated anaerobic digesters.
The Cultural Shift…
Another school of thought holds that even the most successful waste-to-energy schemes are not an optimal solution since anything that can’t be recycled or composted or reused should not be produced in the first place. This philosophy, sometimes referred to as the “zero-waste” movement, looks at the entire lifecycle of products and places emphasis on packaging redesign and consideration for renewable energy. The tipping point (pun intended) is society’s willingness to reflect on their consumer habits and drive change back up the production line to prevent many materials from ever entering the waste stream.
Questions…
What is your perspective on the solid waste issue?
Should we implement a source separated organics program similar to Toronto’s even though the economic drivers here are very different?
Blue Box – dry recyclables including plastics, paper and glass – current weekly pick-up
Green Bin – source separated organics (kitchen & food scraps; leaves; grass) – suggest weekly pick-up
Blue Bin – dry recyclables including plastics, paper and glass - suggest bi-weekly pick-up
Grey Bin (not shown) – regular garbage – suggest bi-weekly pick-up
(Credit – City of Winnipeg)
Toronto’s Green Bin Program from Curb to Compost – Source Separated Organics (kitchen & food scraps; leaves; grass) Weekly Pick-Up (Credit – City of Toronto)
Munster, Germany Comprehensive Resource Recovery & Disposal Centre
Definitions
Anaerobic digestion is a method of composting that does not require oxygen. This composting method produces methane. Also known as anaerobic composting.
Cogeneration is production of both electricity and steam from one facility, from the same fuel source.
Collection is the process of picking up wastes from residences, businesses, or a collection point, loading them into a vehicle, and transporting them to a processing, transfer, or disposal site.
Compost is the material resulting from composting. Compost, also called humus, is a soil conditioner and in some instances is used as a fertilizer.
Composting is biological decomposition of solid organic materials by bacteria, fungi, and other organisms into a soil-like product.
Diversion rate is the proportion of waste material diverted for recycling, composting, or reuse and away from landfilling or incineration.
Landfill gases are gases arising from the decomposition of organic wastes; principally methane, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Such gases may cause explosions at landfills.
Materials recovery facility (MRF) is a facility for separating commingled recyclables by manual or mechanical means. Some MRFs are designed to separate recyclables from mixed municipal solid waste. MRFs then bale and market the recovered materials.
Recyclables are items that can be reprocessed into feedstock for new products. Common examples are paper, glass, aluminum, corrugated cardboard, and plastic containers.
Recycling is the process of transforming materials into raw materials for manufacturing new products, which may or may not be similar to the original product.
Source Separation is the segregation of specific materials at the point of generation for separate collection. Residents source separate recyclables as part of a curbside recycling program.
Source Separated Organics is the separation of organic waste (fruit and vegetables scraps, paper towels, coffee grinds, etc.) from the waste stream at the point of generation. The goal in many cases is to turn it into compost.
Tipping fee is a fee for unloading or dumping waste at a landfill, transfer station, incinerator, or recycling facility.
Source:
http://www.gdrc.org/uem/waste/swm-glossary.html
Links:
Brady Road Landfill
http://www.winnipeg.ca/waterandwaste/garbage/bradyroad.stm
City of Winnipeg Blue Box Program
http://www.winnipeg.ca/waterandwaste/recycle/bluebox.stm
Green Manitoba
http://mbgreen.ca/cim/1001C7_1T1T3T123T12T752T13T757.dhtm
