Accessibility and Access Keys [0]
Waste Management is planning to expand its existing Carp Road landfill to become a multipurpose waste management centre that will include an environmentally friendly new landfill gas-to-energy facility, the company announced Tuesday.
The firm said it’s put together a proposal to develop a facility called the West Carleton Environmental Centre that’s expected to accept up to 400,000 tonnes of waste annually for 10 years, and create up to 75 new “green” jobs in waste diversion, disposal and green energy facilities.
“The West Carleton Environmental Centre represents an entirely new way to address waste management in our region,” said Ross Wallace, who will serve as manager for the new centre. “Our facility will have new or expanded industrial, commercial and residential diversion and recycling operations to divert as much waste as possible away from disposal.”
The centre will include a landfill built on a new area of Waste Management’s current site. Waste Management said it will close its old landfill, cap it with natural grasses and monitor it once the new centre begins operations.
The new landfill will be lower in height than the current landfill and will have “limited visual impact” on the surrounding areas and local residents, the firm said.
The company added it will construct a greenhouse for community use at the site of the closed facility.
One of the highlights of the proposed centre is a facility that will collect landfill gas and convert it into up to six megawatts of green, renewable energy, or enough power for 6,000 homes for a year. The technology will also be used at the old, closed landfill site to power the new community greenhouse, Waste Management said.
Waste Management noted the main reason for the new operation is to increase the percentage of waste diverted towards reuse and recycling – currently only about 30 per cent for the city of Ottawa – instead of being sent to the landfill for regular disposal.
* The existing landfill gas-to-energy facility at the Carp Road landfill. (Photo supplied) *The proposed centre will also include facilities for materials recycling, construction and demolition material, organics processing, residential diversion and an expanded drop-off facility for Habitat for Humanity to collect used building and renovation materials.
Once the centre is built, the Carp Road site will still have extensive non-operational lands, which could be utilized for parks and recreational and community use, the company said.
“Waste Management will also expand existing wildlife habitat projects through collaborations with the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Rideau Valley Conservation Authority,” the release stated.
Waste Management didn’t disclose the cost of the planned facility, nor when it expects the centre to begin operations, but said it expects it will generate $1 million in economic benefit for the city.
The process will begin with public consultations to develop a terms of reference document that will define the work plan for studying the impact of the centre and how the company will consult with the community during the environmental assessment for the new facility.
The terms of reference will also provide the framework for conducting and evaluating the environmental assessment, one the project has been approved by the Ministry of the Environment, the company said.