The City of Edmonton needs more space to process organic waste, according to a city report, which says the amount of food waste collected by city departments from households is increasing.
The city plans to build new outdoor waste composting infrastructure at the municipal waste management center located in the northeast part of the city.
However, such a project could go beyond 2028. This delay would create a gap where the organic waste collected would not be processed due to a lack of processing capacity, the report points out.
Options to consider
In the meantime, the city plans to hire a third party to process additional organic waste from more apartment and condo complexes.
City councillors are due to discuss the options contained in the report at a meeting of the public services committee on September 3.
The administration also presents other options, including outsourcing all services to third parties in the future.
Since 2021, the Municipality has been collecting food waste from single-family residences, approximately 250,000.
It also began collecting food scraps from apartments and condominiums in 2023 as part of what it calls three-stream collection, including regular trash, food scraps and recyclables such as cardboard and plastic.
Denis Jubinville, director of waste management services, says about 20 percent of apartments and condominiums, or 33,000 out of 170,000 residential units, are participating in three-stream waste collection so far.
Open in full screen mode
More than 97,000 tonnes of organic materials from all sources were processed in Edmonton in 2023. (File photo)
Photo: Provided by the City of Edmonton
More than 120,000 tonnes by 2027
Last year, approximately 97,300 tons of organic materials were processed from all sources. This includes curbside waste from individual homes, organic waste from apartments and condominiums, and yard waste.
Around 62,000 tonnes of organic waste were treated in 2021, says Denis Jubinville.
As Edmonton’s population grows and the program expands to other neighbourhoods, the City expects to collect 121,000 tonnes of organic waste each year by 2027.
Some of the treatment is carried out in the waste management centre’s anaerobic high-solids waste treatment plant, but this cannot cope with the incoming volume.
A unique contract
The administration recommends a single contract with the company Claystone Waste Ltd. for the treatment of organic waste collected from apartments and condominiums.
The contents of the proposed contract will remain confidential under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, the report said. No further details were given as to the reason for the decision.
The costs associated with this contract will be significantly lower than the costs associated with continuing to operate the anaerobic high solids waste treatment facility in its current configuration.
A quote from Denis Jubinville, City of Edmonton
Claystone Waste Ltd. operates the Ryley landfill, in the east of the city, where most of the waste, including non-recyclable and non-compostable waste, is deposited.
Call for tenders for new contractors
The last municipal composting facility, with a capacity to process 130,000 tonnes of waste per year, was closed more than five years ago after an audit showed Edmonton’s method of processing waste was outdated and no longer effective.
The City began building the anaerobic facility to treat organics. It then realized that it was more cost-effective to hire third parties to treat some of the organics.
Current contracts that process organic waste from individual homes will expire before the new composter is completed, so the city plans to issue a tender to replace them with new interim contracts.
The city also believes that interim third-party processing contracts should also stimulate private investment in organics processing in the Edmonton region.
With information from Natasha Riebe
