Dive Brief:
- Eco Depot Waste Diversion Ltd. has received approval from Ontario's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to move forward on the construction and operation of a $2 million compost facility in the Canadian township of Oliver Paipoonge, as reported by The Chronicle Journal.
- The facility will have more than 33,000 tons of annual capacity to process food scraps, biosolids, diapers, leaf and yard waste, green wood, wood waste, boiler ash, drywall, cardboard, and paper. An aerated composting process will be used to create a marketable soil amendment.
- The site is expected be operational by this summer and will be accepting material from municipal, commercial and industrial sources.
Dive Insight:
This project has been in the works for multiple years and will bring the first multi-stream composting operation to Northwest Ontario. Eco Depot previously claimed that it could help divert 40% to 50% of organic waste being sent to landfills in the region.
The timing of this announcement comes shortly after the ministry released new details on how it plans to implement big diversion goals set by the Waste-Free Ontario Act last year. According to the plan, provincial officials will be consulting on a Food and Organic Waste Action Plan this year and aim to begin implementation next year. The strategy calls for diversion throughout the entire supply chain so a facility such as Eco Depot that can accept material from a variety of sectors will be useful for the region.
Composting facilities continue to be a solid option for companies and local governments looking to maximize organics diversion since they require relatively low start-up costs. Like any sizable organics processing operation that accepts a diverse stream of materials Eco Depot will need to be mindful of potential odors. The company has said that its location was chosen to maintain distance from residential areas. If issues still do arise past and current experiences have shown that responsive community engagement will be key.
