Waste Management in Ottawa

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Davis137

Why exactly are we not using plasma incinerators in this country? My Brother-in-law has lived abroad in Europe and parts of Africa for many years, and he indicated that there are countries/municipalities in Europe that stopped using landfills decades ago, and incinerate their waste instead. The energy/heat released during combustion is captured to generate electricity, there is negligible emissions, and they reuse the slag from the incinerator in construction materials (like the hybrid concrete and asphalt used on roadways like the 407 ETR). He was really enthused when he heard about the Plasco facility being built, but was shocked to find out it was never completed.

I agree with many of you, why hasn't this option been tabled again? IIRC, a plasma furnace can also be used to get rid of sewage waste as well, again with negligible emissions due to the high heat evaporating almost everything, and the remnants could be used in fertilizers and compost products.

Seems North America is incapable of taking any lessons from Europe. So many of our problems could be solved by looking ro what they are doing.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa moves to 'producer pay' recycling, but blue and black box pickups unchanged — for now
As the policy is phased in over the next three years, municipalities will be out of the blue and black box business altogether in favour of a provincewide program run by the producers themselves.

Blair Crawford, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jun 12, 2023 • 3 minute read

Ottawa residents won’t see any changes in the curbside pickup of their black and blue boxes next month when the city becomes one of the first in the province to switch to Ontario’s new Individual Producer Responsibility recycling program.

At least, not for now.

The July 1 change to IPR is the first step in a three-year process of making manufacturers responsible for the waste they generate, with the aim of reducing the amount of packaging and diverting more waste away from landfills.

“Residents will notice no change in their service as we transition to the IPR,” says Capital ward Coun. Shawn Menard, who chairs the city’s Environment and Climate Change committee. “We’ll still continue with our contracts for blue and black box collections on that particular day in neighbourhoods with the garbage and the green bin collection. But we’ll be getting paid back for that service.”

But as the policy is phased in over the next three years, municipalities will be out of the blue and black box business altogether in favour of a provincewide program run by the producers themselves. Though details are still being worked out, Menard hopes that means more types of plastics will be allowed in blue boxes in a standardized provincewide system. Currently, municipalities set their own rules on what can and cannot be recycled.

And he wants to be sure collection days for recycling boxes stays the same for people and is in harmony with the garbage collection, which will remain in the city’s hands.

The IPR program was introduced by Ontario’s previous Liberal government in 2016, but has been continued by the current Conservative one, albeit with reduced targets. The province is now aiming to have 85 per cent of paper recycled by 2030, down from 90 per cent in the original target, and 40 per cent of plastics, down from 45 per cent. Critics have accused the government of watering down its targets, but the government says the reduction is a “workable” solution done in consultation with industry.

All municipalities will have been switched to the IPR program by December 2025, with the Ontario common collection program starting in January 2026. Ottawa’s recycling contracts will remain in place until then, but the city will be reimbursed its cost by industry. Existing bottle and can recycling programs like those offered by the Beer Store will remain.

Currently in Ontario, four other waste streams — tires, batteries, electrical and electronic equipment, and hazardous waste — are already the responsibility of producers to recycle.

“It’s a very good step to make sure producers are responsible,” said Alice Irene Whittaker of Ecology Ottawa. “It’s good in principle and we think it will be good in practice, but I always emphasize that recycling is not the answer. It’s one part of a larger solution.”

Whittaker says people can reduce waste and the need to recycle by simply buying less, using items longer or sharing them with other neighbours through programs like the Ottawa tool library.

“That will ensure items never even get to that (recycling) stage,” she said.

Similar producer pay recycling programs are already in place in British Columbia and in many areas of Europe. By shifting the cost of recycling to manufacturers, it’s hoped they’ll change how they package their products to be more environmentally friendly. That will mean less waste headed to landfills and possibly more material, such as lighter and thinner plastics currently banned from blue boxes, will be recycled.

But those changes will come at a cost, a cost that will likely be felt by consumers at the cash register.

“There’s a cost of sending material to the landfill, whether it gets rolled up into the cost of the product or whether it’s on your tax bill,” Menard said. “It’s going to be one way or the other, and I think it’s better to have that change up front so we’re not producing so much waste and to move toward things that can be properly recycled.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...-and-black-box-pickups-unchanged-for-now

[rocketphish]

Bye bag tags: 3-container limit the newest garbage policy up for debate
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe had previously sought a compromise of 2 bags, no tags

Kate Porter · CBC News
Posted: Jun 12, 2023 5:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

Ottawa's mayor wants to limit households to three garbage bins at the curb each collection day and remove any requirement for bag tags.

It's a move Mark Sutcliffe hopes will have more buy-in around the council table on Wednesday, even if it means a more lenient policy than city staff had originally recommended, or the "compromise" he had proposed just last week.

"We need to have something that achieves a broad consensus on city council and also achieves consensus in the community," he told CBC News, in explaining why he was changing his position. "That's always what I'm striving to achieve, is to get everybody working together on the same plan."

It was clear, after city staff unveiled a plan to require a tag on each container of garbage set out at the curb, that some residents and councillors strongly disagreed with where staff had landed after two years of research and policy work.

In May, city staff proposed each property taxpayer be given 55 tags to use on garbage bins throughout the year. Extras would cost $3 each.

The goal was to encourage people to keep recycling and organics out of Ottawa's landfill, which is estimated to fill up within 13 years. At present, some 58 per cent of what ends up in garbage cans should have gone in the blue, black or green bins.

Councillors began hearing from residents who either disagreed with the idea of putting tags on their garbage — a practice staff pointed out has been in use for years in other municipalities — or thought larger families would be penalized. Many worried about illegal dumping.

"I had a resident write and tell me every time they see garbage, they're going to see my face. I appreciate this is going to be unpopular," College ward Coun. Laine Johnson said at the environment and climate change committee meeting last week.

She urged council to continue to coach residents through a behavioural change, despite the pushback.

At that meeting, the staff recommendations failed in a tie vote, but so did alternatives put forward by councillors Marty Carr and David Brown.

Carr had worked with the mayor to suggest each household get the first two containers tag-free, and pay for tags after that. They would get 15 tags to help transition to the new system.

Brown, meanwhile, wanted to avoid tags altogether and felt the best course would be to limit households to four containers — Ottawa has had an unenforced maximum of six items since 2007.

Staff supported the Carr motion because it was in keeping with the partial pay-as-you-throw programs in other cities. Brown's was more status quo, they said.

In order to nudge people to participate in recycling and compost programs, the industry best practice is to limit garbage containers at or below the existing household average, they explained.

In Ottawa, that "set out rate" is currently 2.1 containers per household. Seventy-four per cent of households already put out two garbage items every two weeks, so the bag-tag policy had been aimed at the remaining 26 per cent.

That leaves Waste Watch Ottawa wondering what can be achieved by the latest proposal, which is now expected to go before city council for a final vote on Wednesday.

"This is ineffectual policy. This is not going to change fundamental habits," remarked Duncan Bury, who co-founded the volunteer-based organization that pushes for better diversion policies.

"The question to ask now is, 'What's the point?'"

The mayor, however, spent the past week talking with Carr, Brown, and others to find common ground. The three-bag limit was also floated by Coun. Riley Brockington at committee, and voted down.

Sutcliffe pointed out the limit will be far lower than the existing six-item maximum, and will indeed divert waste.

"To go from that to having a firm limit of three items, I think is progress. Maybe it's not as much progress as some people want, and I respect that. And maybe it goes further than some people want, and I respect that too."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/motion-ahead-of-ottawa-council-curbside-policy-vote-1.6873808

[J.OT13]

Currently in Ontario, four other waste streams — tires, batteries, electrical and electronic equipment, and hazardous waste — are already the responsibility of producers to recycle.

“It’s a very good step to make sure producers are responsible,” said Alice Irene Whittaker of Ecology Ottawa. “It’s good in principle and we think it will be good in practice, but I always emphasize that recycling is not the answer. It’s one part of a larger solution.”

Can't speak for tires. I assume they recycle them when switching them out at the tire shop, but this system hasn't worked too well for batteries, electrical and electronic equipment, which are usually just thrown out. We pay an eco fee, they pocket the money and don't recycle. Very few people, I'm sure, know about limited bring back to recycle programs.

As for Sutcliffe's proposal of three bags max, enforced, it's better than the current non-system. In a society where no one wants to make small sacrifices, that would be a small win.

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Can't speak for tires. I assume they recycle them when switching them out at the tire shop...

I can tell you at least about bicycle tires.

They are not included in any recycling program. There has been a huge increase in cycling over the past twenty years, and all levels of government encourage this mode of transport.

So one would think this encouragement would include the ability to properly recycle things as they wear out. Businesses such as the re-Cycles bike shop will properly recycle any dead bikes, but all the dead tires and tubes still have to go to landfill...

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Can't speak for tires. I assume they recycle them when switching them out at the tire shop, but this system hasn't worked too well for batteries, electrical and electronic equipment, which are usually just thrown out. We pay an eco fee, they pocket the money and don't recycle. Very few people, I'm sure, know about limited bring back to recycle programs.

As for Sutcliffe's proposal of three bags max, enforced, it's better than the current non-system. In a society where no one wants to make small sacrifices, that would be a small win.

Under normal circumstances, the three bag limit is fine. The problem occurs when there is a significant house cleanout. I saw a rental house down the road, where the tenants left and there were dozens of garbage bags. What happens? Where does it go? It really doesn't redirect anything from landfill. Somebody, ends up paying to get this removed.

Have we really addressed the high rise issue? Isn't there recycling problems at those sites?

I just don't like the holy than thou attitude from some people who don't have to deal with cleanup of junk accumulation.

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Under normal circumstances, the three bag limit is fine. The problem occurs when there is a significant house cleanout. I saw a rental house down the road, where the tenants left and there were dozens of garbage bags. What happens? Where does it go? It really doesn't redirect anything from landfill. Somebody, ends up paying to get this removed.

Have we really addressed the high rise issue? Isn't there recycling problems at those sites?

I just don't like the holy than thou attitude from some people who don't have to deal with cleanup of junk accumulation.

Yes while some people don't care at all most people are not needlessly throwing things away and I'd guess the ones who are in many cases still won't exceed three bags. As a single person who gives exactly zero though to waste and doesn't recycle much one bag is pretty typical. I see my neighbours with teenage kids who use their green bin and recycle putting out way more. If we both do spring cleaning I'll be fine and they'll be forced to drive to some City of Ottawa location to buy a bag tag. Seems pointless.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Under normal circumstances, the three bag limit is fine. The problem occurs when there is a significant house cleanout. I saw a rental house down the road, where the tenants left and there were dozens of garbage bags. What happens? Where does it go? It really doesn't redirect anything from landfill. Somebody, ends up paying to get this removed.

Have we really addressed the high rise issue? Isn't there recycling problems at those sites?

I just don't like the holy than thou attitude from some people who don't have to deal with cleanup of junk accumulation.

That was an advantage with the 55 free tags option. Maybe people only use one per two weeks and can accumulate for those spring cleanings.

And sure, we need to have a conversation about high-rises and all of that but for now, it's a conversation of street side pickup. Doing nothing to improve the situation and force people to use the green bin is not an option at this point. There is no perfect option.

Everyone should be doing their part, the bare minimum. Even with the pandemic, most of us rose to the occasion and did are part, while others were screaming about freedom". A shift is needed.

[rocketphish]

Council approves 3-container limit for curbside garbage
City of Ottawa will not implement a tagging system after hearing complaints

Kate Porter · CBC News
Posted: Jun 14, 2023 4:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Ottawa residents will be limited to three containers of garbage every two weeks after the vast majority of city council members voted in favour of the new plan, replacing the contentious idea of having to put tags on bags.

Tags had been the main feature of the policy unveiled by city staff in early May, but proved unpopular among residents who told their councillors it was overly bureaucratic.

Instead, council ended up debating two completely different proposals at their meeting Wednesday: the three-container limit backed by Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, and his previous proposal presented last week that saw the first two containers tag-free, while each extra bin would require a $3 tag.

Some councillors criticized the three-container limit for not being nearly "bold" enough to divert recyclables and organics from the nearly-full landfill. They argued the younger generation might not have been as loud or have sent messages to councillor offices, but would expect decision-makers to do more.

The proposal that featured bag tags fell by a 14-10 vote, which pushed critical councillors to support the three-container limit. It passed by a vote of 22 to 2.

"My concern with the compromise motion, my concern with the three bag limit, is that rather than taking a step in the right direction, we're going to have stagnation," said Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine.

Most councillors said a firm three-container limit, avoiding tags altogether, would be an improvement from the current situation. Ottawa has had a six-item limit since 2007, which is not enforced.

"I think we made a decision today that is a big step forward from where we are now," said Sutcliffe. "I think it's step one in a process. I think all options in the future are still on the table."'

The bag tag policy crafted by city staff was not even discussed at council on Wednesday.

They had proposed providing 55 bag tags to each property taxpayer every year, while selling extra tags for $3 each if homes need to set out extra garbage items at the curb. The overarching goal was to prolong the life of the Trail Road landfill, which could hit capacity in 13 years.

Their curbside waste policy was reworked several times at city hall in a matter of weeks as politicians tried to resolve residents' concerns about the impact on larger families, or the threat of illegal dumping.

The staff solution was among three that failed at committee on June 5 due to tie votes.

The implementation process for the three-container limit will go back to council this winter and once a date is set, staff in the public works department plan to initiate a large campaign to educate residents. That could lead to the three-container limit taking effect leading into summer 2024.

Unlike the current six-item limit, the City of Ottawa plans to have solid waste inspectors enforce the new one. It will begin with a phased-in response that includes "whoops" stickers to raise awareness of the rules before bags are simply left on the curb.

If a resident is a repeat offender, they will get a notice of violation that requires them to clean up garbage, or be charged for its removal.

If people have a fourth container, they could pay $4.30 for a yellow bag, which are currently sold in packages of four as part of a pre-existing program aimed at businesses.

The motion defeated at council was supported by 10 councillors including Jessica Bradley, Rawlson King, Laine Johnson, Theresa Kavanagh, Jeff Leiper, Stéphanie Plante, Ariel Troster, Sean Devine, Glen Gower, and Shawn Menard.

Councillors who voted against it included Marty Carr, Cathy Curry, Clarke Kelly, Wilson Lo, Laura Dudas, Riley Brockington, Matthew Luloff, Catherine Kitts, David Hill, Allan Hubley, Tim Tierney, David Brown, Steve Desroches, and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. George Darouze was absent.

Only Jessica Bradley and Clarke Kelly voted against the three-container limit. Kelly opposed both motions as he wanted to see the entire file head back to city staff for more study, but his motion to do just that lost 20 to 4.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/co...ner-limit-for-curbside-garbage-1.6876612

[Tesladom]

I hate to use my place in Val-des-monts as a great example of anything, but the garbage collection process is quite straightforward

All recycling goes into a large rolling Recycling bin, no sorting required, picked up every second week. No limit on materials
Garbage connection is every other week, and we are limited to a rolling container of around 300L. They will only pick up household garbage in garbage bags. For larger items, once a month, they come by with a larger truck to pick up the larger items that don't fit in bags/containers
https://www.val-des-monts.net/en/citizens/collection/

[J.OT13]

Considering that currently, 75% of households put out 2 bags or less bi-weekly, and 85% of households put out 3 bags bi-weekly, this is a failure in policy.

Deachman: Ottawa Council's 'three-bag' garbage plan amounts to a lack of leadership

Bruce Deachman, Postmedia
Published Jun 16, 2023

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and others hailed the compromise as progress. But as progressive solutions go, this was like putting your finger in a dike to halt an oncoming tsunami.

On Wednesday, Ottawa city council voted against an amended version of a staff-recommended proposal, put forward by Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine, that would allow residents to toss two containers or bags of trash biweekly without tags and provide 15 tags to use for extra items throughout the year, with further tags available at $3 apiece.

Instead, councillors adopted Rideau-Jock Coun. David Brown’s motion to simply cap the amount of garbage you can leave at your curb at three bags or containers biweekly.

Devine’s motion died by a reasonably close 14-10 vote drawn largely on suburban/rural-vs.-urban lines. After its failure, the urban councillors who had supported Devine’s motion, perhaps thinking that something was better than nothing, then voted for Brown’s motion, which passed with only two dissenters.

What was a little surprising was how some of the councillors who supported the tag program indicated before any vote on the matter that they would support Brown’s motion if Devine’s failed. It was as if they were falling over one another to show how collaborative this council is, following the dysfunction of the end days of the previous one. But if you were in favour of a two-bag biweekly limit and against three, then why not respectfully vote that way? The motion would have passed anyway, but at least the opposition would have been recorded.

Enforcement for the new program, incidentally, will be done through stickers that garbage collectors will place on items that exceed the maximum allowed, with repeat offenders receiving notices of violation ordering them to clean it up or be charged for its removal.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and others on council hailed the compromise decision as progress, as it reduces the currently allowed — but not enforced — limit of six.

But as progressive solutions go, this one was like putting your finger in a dike to halt an oncoming tsunami.

The purpose of the whole debate and decision was purportedly to encourage diversion of waste — you know, the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. The Trail Road landfill site, where we’ve been depositing unwanted items since 1980, is nearing the end of its life. According to city staff, it has approximately 13 to 15 years remaining before we’re unable to cram our disused bread machines and other flotsam into it. As Sutcliffe has said, we need to make hard decisions.

On Wednesday, council didn’t do that.

According to a report by city staff, which recommended the partial pay-as-you-throw program (i.e. the bag tags) and for which council effusively thanked staff while not heeding it, more than half of the garbage currently put out by Ottawans is either recyclable or organic, and a bag-and-tag program could see up to 19 per cent of waste diverted. That could add a couple of years to the Trail site’s lifespan, not insignificant given that it will reportedly take about 15 years to build another landfill or adopt new technology to deal with our trash.

But given that three-quarters of Ottawa residents already put two or fewer items out every two weeks — which if my math is correct is one less than the three that will now be permitted — and that 85 per cent already put out three or fewer, it’s difficult to see how the new limit will do much to encourage diversion.

Ottawa is woefully behind the curve and is failing to meet its provincially mandated targets for waste reduction and diversion. Elsewhere in Ontario, more than 130 municipalities have already adopted some sort of “pay-as-you-throw” program. Why haven’t we?

Leading up to Wednesday’s discussion and vote, some members of council noted that residents had told them they didn’t want such a program. “There was resistance to the idea of a program with tags,” noted Sutcliffe, “so we’re respecting that.” West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly, who also voted against tags, said last week that he’d received more than 100 negative comments from constituents about the tag program, representing roughly 0.4 per cent of residents in his ward.

Kudos to both for listening to their constituents. That’s an important part of the job. But elected officials are also expected to lead, and this decision showed little of that. Do you remember how legions of residents got out their pitchforks and torches when the city announced the icky green-bin program in 2010, and again two years later when it switched to biweekly garbage collection? Those were both good decisions that the city, despite vocal opposition, went ahead with, and residents eventually adapted without too much hardship.

Recall, too, the contentious smoking bylaw in 2001 that had very strong support AND opposition. Council passed it unanimously, making Ottawa the first big city in Canada to do so, but not without death threats to Ottawa’s then-medical officer of health Robert Cushman and then-councillor Alex Munter, who headed the city’s health and social services committee. It became the norm, and within about a year, few people were arguing to return to smoking in workplaces and public spaces.

I feel the same residents who adapted to all these changes would similarly come around to a partial tag system — if only council would lead them there.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...age-plan-amounts-to-a-lack-of-leadership

[rocketphish]

With or without a pricey incinerator, prepare to pay a lot more for trash
New garbage technologies would help keep the landfill from filling up too fast

Elyse Skura · CBC News
Posted: Oct 30, 2023 6:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 30

Ottawa is looking at two costly options to lengthen the life of its soon-to-be-full landfill: burning waste to create energy, or mechanically sorting trash to remove organics and recyclables.

Both mean a hike in what households pay — but even if councillors opt against the technologies, staff say the rates will likely double within the decade.

"In 2023, Ottawa residents paid on average $185 for the year for solid waste services," said project manager Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, noting that the projections are not definitive.

"By the time we're at 2050, you're looking at a cost per household of just under $500."

That increase will be slightly higher if Ottawa introduces an incinerator, but that cost could rise to nearly $600 per year if it opts for technology to better separate waste.
Hoover-Bienasz emphasized that no cheaper alternative is available, as the city runs out of time before its landfill reaches capacity.



For years, city staff have warned the Trail Road landfill is running out of space. If nothing's done, the city has just eight years, so staff have created plans to provide what they call "more runway."

But finding and building a new landfill will take well over a decade.

Staff have come up with dozens of recommendations they said will ensure the site is viable for 14 years, including:

• Building new trash piles on land adjacent to the Trail Road site.
• Piloting a program to close apartment garbage chutes.
• Switching to a system where garbage trucks pick up bins with mechanical arms.
• Adding organics bins in public parks.
• And no longer accepting commercial waste at the city's landfill.

The plan incorporates some recent moves from council, including the heavily debated decision to limit curbside trash pickup to three bags or bins — a compromise from the more ambitious proposal from staff.

"Waste touches everyone," said Coun. Shawn Menard, chair of the environment committee. "Now we know we have to go further based on the decision that council took just a few months ago."

Councillors more recently voted to send some of Ottawa's trash to private landfills, which will also help ensure garbage trucks don't waste gas driving all the way out to Trail Road.

Of all the options open to council, only waste-to-energy incineration ensures the city can continue to use its current landfill for the next 30 years.

That option will reduce the volume of waste by more than 70 per cent, and create energy through captured steam.
"This could be used for housing. It could be used for an industrial development," explained Hoover-Bienasz, adding that the added energy would help avoid the creation of nearly 33,000 tonnes of CO2.

Another possibility is a technology known as mixed waste processing, which mechanically sorts garbage to remove material that can be recycled or composted.

Staff reported that this option will extend the landfill's life by four years, while diverting 30,000 tonnes of organic material.

That organic material could itself be used for energy production through anaerobic digestion, a process that introduces bacteria to speed up organic decomposition and capture the natural gas emitted.

Staff propose using anaerobic digestion regardless of the other technology councillors decide to adopt.

Hoover-Bienasz's presentation included only high-level estimates meant to "highlight the magnitude of the investment required."

While landfills have "traditionally been the cheapest solution," she said that won't prove true over time.

Simply maintaining the status quo will require $200 million in capital funding over the next decade. Right now, the solid waste capital reserve is in a deficit position.

The do-nothing option also means building a new landfill within a decade, at a cost of $350 to $400 million.

But staff hope councillors will adopt the solid waste master plan and one of the new technologies.
Hoover-Bienasz added that while Ottawa households should expect to pay more for services over time, it will take decades to get close to the amount residents of Toronto or Edmonton are currently paying.



This final iteration of the overarching plan for solid waste will go to committee next month and city council in December. From there, staff will engage in a final round of public consultation.

Councillors will also have the option to direct staff to explore the feasibility of new technologies — a process that will take about 18 months.

Menard said he's confident in council's ability to choose the solution that provides the "most bang for our buck."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/incinerator-trash-ottawa-1.7012888

[rocketphish]

City should consider waste-to-energy plant, expanding Trail Road landfill: staff

Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Published Oct 30, 2023 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 4 minute read

Ottawa city council should consider using waste-to-energy technology — burning municipal garbage to produce electricity — as part of its long-term solid waste strategy, a new staff report says.

A draft of the city’s first-ever solid waste master plan was unveiled Monday.

Four years in the making, the plan sets the stage for difficult and expensive decisions about how the city manages its municipal waste for the next three decades.

If nothing is done, the report warned, the city’s Trail Road Waste Facility, the city’s primary landfill site, will reach capacity between 2034 and 2035.

Currently, 190,000 tonnes of municipal waste go into the Trail Road landfill every year. But with an increasing population and changing consumer habits, staff said, Ottawa’s municipal waste stream is projected to increase by 30 per cent over the next three decades.

“We are at a key juncture where the city must decide how waste will be managed in the future, and decisions must be made within a short time to ensure we’re set up for success,” said Shelley McDonald, the city’s director of solid waste services.

Decisions have to be made within this term of council, she said, to prolong the lifespan of the Trail Road facility in order to give the city more runway to either build a waste-to-energy plant or find and open a new landfill.

The city has yet to identify any potential sites for a new landfill, but a plan is now being prepared to expand the capacity of Trail Road by filling in its “valleys.”

That plan could extend the life of Trail Road by up to eight years if it’s approved by the province, staff said.

The solid waste master plan also recommends that council choose from 50 other potential actions to extend the life of Trail Road by improving Ottawa’s waste diversion.

McDonald said the actions, when taken together, have the potential to extend the life of the landfill by 14 years to 2049.

Ottawa currently diverts about 45 per cent of its municipal waste. By comparison, Metro Vancouver diverts 65 per cent.

“At this time, they (the diversion programs) are not being fully utilized,” McDonald said, “leaving ample opportunity to increase diversion from landfill to more appropriate processing facilities.”

The report presents some 50 potential actions the city can take to decrease the amount of waste produced while increasing the amount that’s reused, recycled or composted.

“The management of solid waste is complex, and there is no one silver bullet solution to achieve the goals of the waste plan,” said Nichole Hoover-Bienasz, manager of long-term planning for solid waste services.

The report asks city council to consider a wide range of new diversion programs: the extension of the green bin program to all multi-residential buildings; the introduction of more city-sponsored reuse and repair clinics; placing organics and recycling bins in all city parks and buildings; and passing a bylaw that requires homeowners to separate their organic waste.

Such short-term strategies are needed, the report said, to give the city time to decide if it wants to build a mixed-processing plant that would divert more organic waste and plastics from the waste stream, invest in a waste-to-energy plant or find a new landfill site somewhere within Ottawa’s borders.

All of those decisions have significant financial implications. Ottawa households now pay about $185 each for garbage disposal. Those costs are expected to more than double over the next three decades regardless of the path chosen.

By 2050, the cost per household is expected to rise to just under $500 if the city opts for a waste-to-energy plant or a new landfill site, and even more if it decides to build a mixed-waste processing facility in addition to a new landfill.

According to data presented Monday, Ottawa taxpayers now pay considerably less than those in Edmonton ($585), Toronto ($473), Vancouver ($398), Calgary ($300) and Durham Region ($219) for waste and recycling services.

Vancouver and Durham Region are among the Canadian municipalities that now employ waste-to-energy technology to manage their residual waste.

Jane Toller, the elected warden of MRC Pontiac, has proposed building a large waste-to-energy plant in Litchfield, Que., to serve Ottawa, Gatineau and several other municipalities.

Coun. Laura Dudas said she was pleased to see that city staff are contemplating the use of alternative technologies, such as waste-to-energy, and asked if the city would consider a partnership with MRC Pontiac.

Hoover-Bienasz said if council ultimately approves a feasibility study for a waste-to-energy plant, the city will explore potential partnerships, but she said it may make more sense for Ottawa to be home to such a facility given that it produces the most waste in the region.

Coun. Shawn Menard, chair of the environment and climate change committee, said council needs a feasibility study that allows them to weigh waste-to-energy against landfill and other long-term disposal options.

“I want to see more data,” he said.

A final version of the solid waste master plan is expected to go to council next year.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...lant-expanding-trail-road-landfill-staff

[rocketphish]

Environment committee asks for feasibility study on incinerator for Ottawa's garbage
It would cost the city between $350 million and $400 million for a new landfill, which is not included in its 10-year financial plan.

Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen
Published Nov 21, 2023 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 4 minute read

The city’s environment and climate change committee has approved a draft 30-year solid waste master plan, including asking staff to go ahead with a feasibility study and a business case for alternative technologies to manage Ottawa’s growing stream of garbage.

Those technologies include incinerating garbage in a waste-to-energy facility producing more energy than it uses and mixed waste processing in which materials that can be diverted are mechanically separated from collected garbage.

The draft plan, which took four years to develop, identifies 50 recommended actions to stretch the lifespan of the Trail Waste Facility Landfill, which opened in 1980. A report to the city estimated the landfill would be full between 2034 and 2035 and wouldn’t meet the city’s long-term needs unless immediate changes were made. The city has not identified any potential sites for a new landfill.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...study-on-incinerator-for-ottawas-garbage

[rocketphish]

Why Quebec’s “wild west” wants Ottawa’s garbage
An unlikely prophet of trash incineration is on a mission to build a giant waste-to-energy plant in the Pontiac.

Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Published Nov 30, 2023 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 19 minute read

Dressed in a canary yellow blazer and patterned flower dress, Jane Toller stands in front of the collected mayors of MRC Pontiac – most of them in golf shirts and jeans – and delivers the hard sell on garbage incineration.

The elected warden of MRC Pontiac, Toller wants to build a large waste-to-energy plant in the region, one of the poorest in Quebec, to make and sell electricity from the combustion of municipal waste. She championed the idea of waste-to-energy decades ago as a mayoral candidate in Toronto and has since brought her incinerating evangelism to the Pontiac, her family seat.

“There are some people, especially people who have just moved here, who would just like to see this as a wilderness, and a beautiful eco-tourism area, with nothing but cycling and kayaking,” Toller tells her colleagues.

“But we also have a population that we need to support, and many of them are having to leave the Pontiac to work. This facility will bring 50 permanent jobs and 800 jobs through construction. This will bring a lot of good fortune and revitalization to the Pontiac.”

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/feature/canadas-unlikely-prophet-of-garbage-incineration

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Why Quebec’s “wild west” wants Ottawa’s garbage
An unlikely prophet of trash incineration is on a mission to build a giant waste-to-energy plant in the Pontiac.

Andrew Duffy, Ottawa Citizen
Published Nov 30, 2023 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 19 minute read

Dressed in a canary yellow blazer and patterned flower dress, Jane Toller stands in front of the collected mayors of MRC Pontiac – most of them in golf shirts and jeans – and delivers the hard sell on garbage incineration.

The elected warden of MRC Pontiac, Toller wants to build a large waste-to-energy plant in the region, one of the poorest in Quebec, to make and sell electricity from the combustion of municipal waste. She championed the idea of waste-to-energy decades ago as a mayoral candidate in Toronto and has since brought her incinerating evangelism to the Pontiac, her family seat.

“There are some people, especially people who have just moved here, who would just like to see this as a wilderness, and a beautiful eco-tourism area, with nothing but cycling and kayaking,” Toller tells her colleagues.

“But we also have a population that we need to support, and many of them are having to leave the Pontiac to work. This facility will bring 50 permanent jobs and 800 jobs through construction. This will bring a lot of good fortune and revitalization to the Pontiac.”

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/feature/canadas-unlikely-prophet-of-garbage-incineration

Makes sense closer to the center of Ottawa than any suitable site on the other side of the river. Win win. Is Pontiac really one of the poorest parts of Quebec?

[J.OT13]

Gatineau has bought land to establish it's fourth "Ecocentre" in the west end, at the intersections of Vanier and Pink. Meanwhile in Ottawa, we have none. We here in Ottawa have to contend with a once a month-ish hazardous waste depot at different corners of the City where we HAVE to drive often across the City and wait in line idling for up to 30 minutes.

https://www.ledroit.com/actualites/actua...re-de-louest-DEUEDR6DONGNTCXU7T4F7C3IJ4/

[harls]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Gatineau has bought land to establish it's fourth "Ecocentre" in the west end, at the intersections of Vanier and Pink. Meanwhile in Ottawa, we have none. We here in Ottawa have to contend with a once a month-ish hazardous waste depot at different corners of the City where we HAVE to drive often across the City and wait in line idling for up to 30 minutes.

https://www.ledroit.com/actualites/actua...re-de-louest-DEUEDR6DONGNTCXU7T4F7C3IJ4/

Ottawa residents can use Gatineau ecocentres too, but it costs $$$ (you have to show a piece of ID with a Gatineau address to use it). They used to have a limit on how many times you could go per year, but I think that has been abolished.

With that new school and this place being built on Pink, I really hope there are no delays getting that road up to snuff. Same for Vanier.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by harls

Ottawa residents can use Gatineau ecocentres too, but it costs $$$ (you have to show a piece of ID with a Gatineau address to use it). They used to have a limit on how many times you could go per year, but I think that has been abolished.

With that new school and this place being built on Pink, I really hope there are no delays getting that road up to snuff. Same for Vanier.

Wait, Ottawa residents can use it if they have a piece of ID with a Gatineau address? Or you have to prove you're a Gatineau resident in order to use it for free?

I don't mind paying a few bucks if it means diverting more waste from the landfill.

[harls]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Wait, Ottawa residents can use it if they have a piece of ID with a Gatineau address? Or you have to prove you're a Gatineau resident in order to use it for free?

I don't mind paying a few bucks if it means diverting more waste from the landfill.

Sorry, I wasn't clear.

You can use it for free if you show an ID with a Gatineau address.

People from Ottawa can use the ecocentres, but they have to pay (not sure what the fee is). Don't take my word for it though, I don't want you showing up with a wagon full of home renovation junk only to be turned away

Best solution - get a Gatineau friend to take your stuff for you!