Council updated on Region's plans for non-diverted garbage
By Bill Rea

There's still a lot of work to do in the ongoing York - Durham residual waste study.

Andy Campbell, York Region's director of solid waste management, recently told King councillors the project, which will eventually see a joint facility serving the two regions, is still a couple of years from completion.

Barring court challenges, "early 2011 is realistic," he said.

York currently diverts about 40 per cent of its garbage from landfill (dump) sites through various forms of recycling, including Blue Box, Green Bin, etc., and Campbell said they will likely be close to 50 per cent by the end of the year. The Green Bin program is slated to start in King this fall. But the target is to eventually divert 65 per cent.

He also pointed to the recycling facility in East Gwillimbury, which handled some 80,000 tonnes of material last year.

But meeting the targets will still mean the remaining 35 per cent will have to be dealt with. About 194,000 tons of York trash is going to dumps, and even meeting the 65 per cent objective will leave about 150,000 tonnes. The hope is to minimize the amount to be dumped.

The joint study with Durham started in the spring of 2005, and by last June, they had decided on preferred technologies, involving thermal treatment of garbage. They are currently looking for possible sites for the facility. One potential location is next to the recycling plant in East Gwillimbury, and the others are in Durham.

The site-selection process screened out a number of locations, including those protected by provincial or federal legislation, designated residential areas, natural heritage features, prime agricultural lands, parks and recreation areas and airports. As well, Campbell said they need about 25 acres.

"There isn't that kind of area in King," he observed.

He added they are looking at both municipallyowned properties, as well as land belonging to potentially willing sellers.

Four sites being eyed in Durham are all near Clarington. The East Gwillimbury site has the advantage, Campbell said, of being owned by the Region and being next to the recycling plant. He also pointed out it's located on the provincial Greenbelt, but added the planning approvals covering the property pre-date the Greenbelt legislation. He also said there might be provisions in the legislation that had been overlooked.

Campbell added they are looking at technologies that involve the treatment of mixed waste with the recovery of materials from the resulting ash, as well as treatment that results in solid recovered fuel.

There is one energy from waste facility in Ontario, and Campbell said it's been operating in Brampton for about 15 years. There are others around the world, including a "nice industrial facility" on the Isle of Mann.

Campbell said no approvals have been granted yet, and that the project is still in the environmental assessment process.

"We're nowhere near done this project right now," he declared.

Campbell told Councillor Jane Underhill they are doing generic health risk assessments on the proposal. He said this plant will have emissions, and they will have to be of acceptable levels. He added a higher level of detail will be available once a site has been picked.

He also observed the health risk should be slight, adding one such facility in Japan is combined with a recreation centre, complete with swimming pool.

Campbell told Councillor Cleve Mortelliti the emissions from a plant like this will be less than the greenhouse gases coming from a dump.