g lin yc ec t r 13 al ge ph pa As
Solid Waste & Recycling Canada’s magazine on collection, hauling, processing and disposal February/March 2010 $10.00
CPMP No. 40069240
An EcoLog Group Publication
IC&I WASTE What’s really being generated? — page 8
CleanTech Canada supplement — pages 19-32
R e c y c le y o u r
rec har gea ble bat ter ies
and cell phones
W hether at home, work or play, rechargeable batteries and cell phones are part of our lives.
O nce they no
longer hold their charge, recycle them.
C all 2R ecycle supplies free collection boxes for your workplace as well as at drop-off locations at retail and within your community.
Go to www.call2recycle.org to register your business for free and to find nearby participating collection sites.
You can also recycle at any participating hardware supply store:
877-2-RECYCLE
Solid Waste & Recycling
CONTENTS February/March 2010 Volume 15, Number 1
Canada’s magazine on collection, hauling, processing & disposal
COVER STORY
IC&I Waste
8 Cover art by Charles Jaffé
Provincial and municipal governments across Canada recognize that industrial, commercial and institutional waste must be tackled as part of their broader waste minimization goals. But the data picture of IC&I waste is cloudy; the situation must change for improvements to be recognized. by Maria Kelleher
FEATURES RECYCLING: ASPHALT
Pavement recycling in the Town of Markham. by Peter Loukes
13
CLEAN TECH CANADA supplement — pages 19-32
RECYCLING SIDEBAR: TIRES
Tire-to-tire recycling with devulcanization. by Chad Curtis
15
COMMERCIAL WASTE: PAPER
Shred-it’s secure document destruction program. by J. Ryan Pryznyk
16
COLLECTION: FRONT LOADER
Can-Pack’s front load bin delivery system. by Dana Kirkwood
DEPARTMENTS Editorial Up Front Equipment Composting Matters Waste Business
4 6 33 34 37
42
Regulation Roundup News Products Ad Index Blog
39 40 44 45 46
NEXT EDITION BONUS DISTRIBUTION: Waste Expo 2010 Municipal case study. Automobile stewardship. Agricultural waste. Furniture industry. Natural attenuation landfills. Balers, shedders & conveyors. Space closing: March 21, 2010. Artwork required: March 26, 2010. Advertisers, contact Publisher Brad O’Brien at 1-888-702-1111 ext. 2.
Asphalt recycling, pg. 13
EDITORIAL
Announcing CleanTech North. by David Pamenter
20
COVER STORY
Ontario Solar FIT program. by David Oxtoby
21
WATERWORKS
Robot device for pipe inspection. by Michael Stadnyckyj
24
INFRASTRUCTURE
Ostara’s technology recovers phosphorous from wastewater. by Phillip Abrary 26
WASTE-TO-ENERGY
Plasma gasification for municipal solid waste. by Rod Bryden
28
CLIMATE CHANGE BC programs to reduce GHG emissions. by Tony Crossman
31
Document destruction, pg. 16
Landfill attenuation, pg. 31
February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 3
EDITORIAL
by Guy Crittenden “Waste minimization is the agriculturalists’ recognition of the Earth’s limited ability to support sedentary lifestyles.”
Avatars’R’Us
Y
ou and I probably don’t think of ourselves as agriculturalists, but from an anthropological stance we are, and as such manifest a culture of new technology dating back to the start of the Holocene — the current warm interglacial period that started around 14,000 years ago with the end of the last ice age — and the Neolithic revolution when people first domesticated plants and animals on a large scale in different regions of the planet. Today, two phenomena are emblematic of a modernity that separates us from our distant past, and nature. First, the melting of glaciers and ice caps worldwide signifies we are at the opposite end of the spectrum from the last ice age. Second, the disappearance of the last true huntergatherer societies in all but the world’s most remote and inaccessible regions (such as the Aeta people of the Philippines or Australia’s Pila Nguru) reveals our own domestication is nearly complete. Our hominid ancestral past reaches back millions of years; our particular species of Homo sapiens has walked the earth for approximately 200,000 years, sharing certain regions with our Neanderthal cousins who eventually went extinct. You could take a person from two hundred millennia ago, bathe them and put them in modern costume and (other than perhaps being small) they’d fit in with the crowd on any subway platform. For all but the past 12,000 years (and longer in many places) we Homo sapiens lived in small hunter-gatherer groups, our time as village-dwellers representing less than five per cent of our history. Though the pyramids seem old to us, what we call “ancient” civilizations such as Babylon, Assyria, Egypt are within minutes of midnight on our evolutionary clock. We pastoralists love our sedentary lifestyles and the cultural artifacts and technology that surpluses of food and other commodities afford; the earliest granaries in the Indus Valley may be thought of as connected to the latest iPhone. We forget that writing was invented not for poetry, but to allow the lethal rulers of the first large hierarchical societies to record their stores of grain, honey, wine and (most importantly) weapons. The early agricultural societies quickly became imperialistic slave societies. (Some would argue nothing has changed.) With the last hunter-gatherer tribes about to pass from existence, it’s worth noting what we will have lost. What such tribes lack in “book learning” they arguably make up for in “nature literacy” about animal behavior and the nutritional or healing properties of hundreds of plants. Those few semi-nomadic people who have thus far escaped colonialization enjoy extraordinary freedom, immediacy of life, and egalitarianism compared to many of their brethren toiling away under fluorescent lights in front of computer screens or machines. 4 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
This brings us to Avatar — the new computer-animated film available in some places in IMAX 3D — that recently (at half-a-billion dollars) surpassed James Cameron’s other blockbuster Titanic as the highest grossing movie of all time. Avatar, as you probably know, takes the audience on an immersive cinematic journey into the world of the aliens on planet Pandora through the eyes of Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. Corporations are mining a rare mineral on this distant planet that’s key to solving Earth’s energy crisis. Human “drivers” have their consciousness linked to a remotely-controlled biological body (an “avatar”) that can survive in Pandora’s toxic air. The avatars are copies of the rainforest natives of Pandora — the Na’vi — whose misfortune it is to live directly atop the most plentiful deposits of the valuable mineral, and must therefore be evacuated. The storyline has been called Dances with Wolves in space, and has been criticized by some as a simplistic critique of U.S. forays into Iraq and elsewhere. The personalities of the film’s main protagonists are sadly cartoonish. The sup supposed villains are irredeemably bad; the heroes are simplistically good. While the visual power of CG graphics is welcome, the whole premise of avatar-based video games has dumbed down the movie-mak movie-making; the plot at times even seems to be about getting to “the next level.” Despite these flaws, the film nevertheless tells a true and important story: the pushing by agriculturalists of indigenous hunter-gatherer people off of their lands, and the exploitation and destruction of wilderness to extract resources and support sedentary lifestyles, cut off from nature. This has been the dominant story not only of the recent so-called colonial period, but of the last 12,000 years. It’s only now, with natural resources dwindling and whole ecosystems in danger of collapse, that we agriculturalists are reconsidering our actions and looking at “primitive” people, asking ourselves, “What are we doing?” Recycling, composting, waste minimization and product stewardship are really the agriculturalists’ recognition of the Earth’s limited ability to support our sedentary lifestyle. With our environmental footprint growing, we know that new “cradle-to-cradle” closed-loop systems are needed for producing goods. Unfortunately there are no avatars for sustainable development in the real world, no animated solution. The avatars are us. Guy Crittenden is editor of this magazine. Contact Guy at gcrittenden@solidwastemag.com
Canada’s ONLY trade event serving the waste, recycling and public works markets
November 3 - 4, 2010 International Centre Toronto, ON, Canada
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12/09 SWR
Solid Waste & Recycling
UPFRONT
Canada’s magazine on collection, hauling, processing & disposal
Guy Crittenden Editor gcrittenden@solidwastemag.com Brad O’Brien Publisher bobrien@solidwastemag.com Jamie Ross Account Manager jross@solidwastemag.com Sheila Wilson Art Director Kim Collins Market Production Selina Rahaman Circulation Manager Carol Bell-Lenoury Mgr EcoLog Group Bruce Creighton President Business Information Group Contributing Editors Michael Cant, Rosalind Cooper, Maria Kelleher, Clarissa Morawski, Usman Valiante, Paul van der Werf
Call2Recycle® Oldtimers’ Hockey Challenge
Award-winning magazine Solid Waste & Recycling magazine is published six times a year by EcoLog Information Resources Group, a divi sion of BIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian businesstobusiness information services company that also publishes HazMat Management magazine and other information products. The magazine is printed in Canada. Solid Waste & Recycling provides strategic informa tion and perspectives on all aspects of Canadian solid waste collection, hauling, processing and disposal to waste managers, haulers, recycling coordinators, landfill and compost facility operators and other waste industry professionals. Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40069240 Information contained in this publication has been com piled from sources believed to be reliable, thus Solid Waste & Recycling cannot be responsible for the absolute correctness or sufficiency of articles or editorial contained herein. Articles in this magazine are intended to convey information rather than give legal or other professional ad vice. Reprint and list rental services are arranged through the Publisher at (416) 5106798. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department, Solid Waste & Recycling 12 Concorde Pl, Ste 800, Toronto, ON M3C 4J2 Call: (416) 4425600 Fax: (416) 5105148 Email: srahaman@bizinfogroup.ca From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 18002687742 Fax: 4165105148 EMail: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail to: Privacy Officer Business Information Group 12 Concorde Pl, Ste 800 Toronto, ON Canada M3C 4J2 Solid Waste & Recycling, USPS 018886 is published bimonthly by Business Information Group. US office of publication: 2424 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls, NY 143040357. Periodicals Postage Paid at Niagara Falls, NY. US postmaster: Send address changes to Solid Waste & Recycling, PO Box 1118, Niagara Falls, NY 14304. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program towards our mailing costs. © 2010 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent. ISSN14837714 PAP Registration No. 10991
Brian Trottier greets Call2Recycle TYKES at Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Game (November 8, 2009, Air Canada Centre, Toronto)
T
he Oldtimers’ Hockey Challenge is designed to give fans and players alike an opportunity to celebrate a common joy of the game while at the same time giving much needed funds to worthy organizations in various communities across Canada. The Challenge will appear in over 30 Communities, coast to coast. The series features a great night of entertaining hockey, laser shows, and betweenperiod performances, including the Call2Recycle® Tykes. The Challenge includes former NHL and international players, such as Hockey Hall of Famers Bryan Trottier, Billy Smith, Dale Hawerchuk, and Glenn Anderson (among others). The Legends face off against local fire and police forces in charity hockey games across the country. Check the Official OHC Website for updates at www.oldtimershockey.com and visit Call2Recycle at www.call2recycle.org
The Forest Stewardship Council logo signifies that this magazine is printed on paper from responsibly managed forests. “To earn FSC certification and the right to use the FSC label, an organization must first adapt its management and operations to conform to all applicable FSC requirements.” For more information, visit www.fsc.org
6 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
RCBC REPORTS ON EPR IN BC
Last year’s RCBC conference.
B
.C. is the leader when it comes to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs in Canada, according to the Recycling Council of BC (RCBC), and now you can find all the information about that province’s programs in one easy-to-locate place on the internet! RCBC has created a web page that contains at-a-glance information on every stewardship program on the west coast. It provides contact information, links to websites and also has a status box that tells you when a stewardship plan will be updated, if a review is expected, and when. “We’re always looking for new ways to service our membership and the community at large,” says RCBC Executive Director Brock Macdonald. “We were surprised to discover the information had never been collected in one easy-to-access spot...until now.” This dovetails nicely with RCBC’s 2010 Zero Waste Conference
theme, “The Future Starts Now — Making The Transition to Full EPR.” Says Macdonald, “By the end of the next decade, the majority of B.C.’s solid waste will be divided into two streams: organics, managed by local government, and consumer-related materials, managed through EPR programs. We plan to kick-start the discussion on how we make the transition from a taxpayer-funded system to one paid for by end-users in which industry manages its products through the entire lifecycle, in a closed-loop, cradle-to-cradle system.” The conference, which attracts about 250 industry professionals from around B.C. and North America takes place May 25-27 in Whistler B.C. RCBC is taking proposals from speakers for talks, workshops and presentations that fit with this year’s theme, and applications for trade show space. Visit http://rcbc.bc.ca/education/product-stewardship/table
CleanFARMS™ to expand ag-waste programming
A
new organization called CleanFARMS™ Inc. has been launched to build on successful agricultural stewardship programs started by CropLife Canada, Canada’s plant science industry trade association, more than 20 years ago. CleanFARMS Inc. will continue to deliver its successful empty-container and obsolete-pesticide collection programs, but will also look at developing new programs to help reduce, reuse, recycle and safely dispose of other agricultural wastes. “Canada’s plant science industry is committed to properly managing the full lifecycle of its products. That commitment has made our stewardship initiatives extremely successful — so much so that it merits the creation of a separate entity,” says Lorne Hepworth, president of CropLife Canada. Leading CleanFARMS Inc. will be general manager, Barry Friesen who has a long history of leading recycling and waste management programs. is easy to do. That’s why the industry’s programs have been so successful and “Today’s farmer knows that recycling agricultural waste it’s also why we believe there will be opportunities to do more,” Friesen says. makes sense and that taking part in CleanFARMS Inc. programs Visit www.CleanFARMS.ca February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 7
mystery kid
IC&I Waste
The
on the block
COVER STORY
W
e all know the numbers... Statistics Canada says Canadians dispose of 27 million tonnes a year of garbage, over half of which is nonresidential (and therefore) IC&I and C&D waste. Whereas we know stacks of information about residential waste — its composition, how much each single- and multi-family household produces — how communities with curbside recycling compare to those with drop-off recycling, how much diversion a green cart program will get you, and on and on... we know very little about the industrial, commercial and institutional (IC&I) sector. Any details on IC&I sector waste, except for a few notable case studies that are frequently cited, is a bit of a mystery. We know how much is disposed, but we don’t know where it comes from; is it all from the manufacturing sector, or are retailers and hospitals the “culprits”? A few cities, notably Calgary, Greater Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto to name a few, have tackled IC&I waste by conducting waste audits or IC&I waste composition studies. US states and cities have developed different policies over time in an effort to reduce the amounts of IC&I waste landfilled. Quebec and Ontario have both announced plans to target the IC&I sector in future legislation and policies, and other provinces such as B.C., Nova Scotia, Alberta (to name but a few) are also tackling commercial waste and introducing various product stewardship programs.
by Maria Kelleher “The information needs to be collected in the same way across the country to create an accurate national picture.”
With all this activity, it’s about time we figured out who produces IC&I waste, which IC&I sectors are good waste diverters (and which are not), which sectors produce large amounts of recyclable or compostable waste that could easily be diverted, and so on. These categories (likely only a fraction of the IC&I sector) could then become the focus of future strategies and policies to reduce the amount of waste disposed over time. So, starting off, who or what exactly is the IC&I sector? Well, it’s every commercial, institutional and industrial facility you can think of (except for construction and demolition activities that are covered separately). The IC&I sector covers an enormously wide range of activities from retail to manufacturing to schools, hospitals, universities, warehouses and utilities. The waste produced by each of these generators in terms of the amount and the composition varies widely. A few sectors produce a lot of wood or packaging waste; others produce a lot of food waste. This differs markedly from residential waste, where each household produces roughly the same type of stuff. In the IC&I realm, the amount and type of waste is different not only for each sub-sector, but for each generator. Statistics Canada reports that the Ontario IC&I sector disposed of 6.7 million tonnes in 2006, and that the sector only diverted 12 per cent. This number is frequently cited, and most people in the business agree that it’s a gross underestimate of actual diversion in the IC&I sector. Whereas the Statscan data are the best available, the Statistics Canada
“The OWMA believed considerable amounts of data on IC&I and C&D waste diversion were missed through StatsCan’s bi-annual survey” February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 9
COVER STORY Table 2: Summary of Significant IC&I and C&D Waste Diversion Activity Identified Through Project Research Material
Generated (tonnes)
Diverted (tonnes)
Diversion Rate (%)
Disposed/ stored (tonnes)
Member surveys – Materials Diverted by OWMA Members Concrete/asphalt
150,000
Contaminated soils
340,000
Food waste to farms
37,500
Sawdust to farms
30,000
Direct haul to industry
150,000
OWMA Membership
707,500+
Industry Sectors Forest Products Industries
2,602,000 tonnes bark, sawdust, shavings
2,480,000
121,000
95%
Metal Shredders
Process 750,000 autos per year
500,000+
140,000 t/y auto shredder fluff
78%
Steel Industry
2.3 million tonnes ferrous slag per year
2,000,000
300,000
90%
Dofasco (2003)
15,500 tonnes of electric furnace dust
15,500+
0
100%
Ontario Power Generator (OPG) (2004)
951,000 tonnes coal fly ash, coal bottom ash, gypsum
865,500
85,650
91%
Nonferrous Metal Industry
3 million tonnes of non ferrous slag per year
1,400,000
1,600,000 (stockpiled)
46%
Foundry Sand Industry
Poor information
Cement Industry
120,000 tonnes in 1980
120,000
0
100%
Mining Industry
~15 million tonnes of mining wastes per year generated in northeastern Ontario
n.a.
~15,000,000 managed on site
unknown
Food Service Industry
Poor information
Fairmont Hotels
n.a.
18
n.a.
n.a.
Rendering Industry
333,000 tonnes per year from licensed abattoirs + unknown amount from outside sources
353,000
n.a.
n.a.
Industry Sector
8,841,500+
C&D Industry Concrete
6 million tonnes per year
5,000,000
1,000,000
83%
Asphalt Pavement
1,454,168 tonnes in 2002
1,300,000
170,000
89%
Asphalt Singles
123,751 tonnes in 2002
47,000
77,000
38%
C&D Industry
10 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
6,347,000
COVER STORY
Waste Management Industry Survey does not capture waste diversion activities from the following industries or activities: • Forest industry wastes reused onsite or by other industries (i.e., bark, sawdust, wood waste) for manufacturing into new products or thermal/electricity generation; • Metal shredding wastes from white goods and auto hulks used as landfill cover; • Steel industry wastes, such as ferrous slag (used in construction) and electric arc furnace dust (used onsite); • Coal fly ash and uncontaminated bottom ash from coal powered generating plants used in the manufacture of concrete and cement; • Non-ferrous metal industrial slag wastes used for sandblasting media and the manufacture of concrete;
• Reuse of cement industry wastes; • Food and animal wastes sent to rendering plants to make protein meals and fat products; • Food wastes or other wastes sent to farms for use as animal feed or separate materials used as animal bedding; • Food wastes from the food services industry that are sent to shelters or food banks; • Reuse or recycling of C&D wastes such as concrete, asphalt and asphalt singles. The Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA), believing that considerable amounts of data on IC&I and C&D waste diversion are missed through the Statistics Canada bi-annual survey, commissioned a study of IC&I waste diversion in Ontario, to identify sources of additional waste diversion as well
as to gain a better understanding of current IC&I and C&D waste diversion activity. This information is essential to developing an IC&I policy and strategy which will be effective at reducing IC&I waste disposed. The study was carried out by Kelleher Environmental between July and December, 2006 and relied on literature reviews, website searches, OWMA member surveys and industry association surveys.
OWMA member surveys Selected members of the OWMA were surveyed to collect general information about their operations. Respondents reported that they managed the following materials: • Collected 4,598,000 tonnes per year (tpy); • Diverted through recycling: 1,108,000 tpy;
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COVER STORY
• Diverted through composting: 162,000 tpy; • Diverted through other methods (e.g., farms, rendering facilities): 170,000 tpy; and • Disposed: 5,190,000 tpy (166,000 tonnes may be double counted in this total), which includes material not collected by OWMA members. Responses indicated that direct-hauled material sent from one industry to another did not constitute a substantial part of diversion activities (under 200,000 tpy). Direct hauling activity is likely carried out by haulers not surveyed as part of the study, or who are not OWMA members. The list of industries that were actively recycling varied and included manufacturers, educational establishments, large companies (multiple responses), and ISO 14000 certified companies. When asked which industries could recycle more than they do currently, or which indus-
tries throw out a lot of material that could be recycled, the list included: • retail sales, • construction (multiple responses); • restaurants (multiple responses), • small businesses (multiple responses), and • heavy manufacturing. Examples of large amounts of material that has always been diverted in Ontario include: • metals recycled through metal shredders; • Two to four million tonnes of ferrous and non-ferrous slags; • 330,000 tonnes or more of animal wastes; • Four million tonnes of concrete and millions of tonnes of asphalt, etc. The Table summarizes significant quantities of material that are likely not captured in the Statistics Canada Waste Management Industry Survey and that are diverted in some cases, or could possibly be diverted in other cases.
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Beautiful and efficient MOLOK Deep-Collection system for waste, recyclables & organics, contact: MOLOK North America Ltd. 1-877-558-5576 Waste Management 519-323-1354 ext. 29 Equipment Omnibac Inc. (Quebec) 418-277-2107 Rollins Machinery (B.C.) 1-800-665-9060 Halaw Contracting (First Nations) 604-894-6904
12 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
It’s clear that robust information is needed for every province that includes the kind of considerations accounted for in the OWMA study. The information needs to be collected in the same way across the country to create an accurate national picture. It’s said that “you can’t manage what you don’t measure”; it’s time to start measuring waste and byproducts more accurately to set policy and validate future waste minimization successes. Note: Having painted a broad picture in this article, I will report further on certain aspects of IC&I waste in the next edition of this magazine. Maria Kelleher is Principal of Kelleher Environmental in Toronto, Ontario. Contact Maria at mkelleher@kellehergroup.ca
by Peter Loukes, P.Eng.
RECYCLING
“In 2007 and 2008, 135 tonnes of used shingles were diverted from landfill and applied to Markham roads.”
One for the Road Markham’s sustainable pavement strategy
Markham road during resurfacing by Miller Paving and completed road. Full Depth Reclamation with Expanded Asphalt Stabilization (EAS) recycles asphalt and lengthens road life spans by 20 per cent.
“W
orst first” is a common practice in road maintenance for many municipalities — the roads that are in the worst repair, or that are generating the most complaint calls from ratepayers, are the first to be repaired or resurfaced. In Ontario, some of this practice began in the pre-1995 era, when municipalities received up to 50 percent funding from the provincial government for road rehabilitation, with funding given to repair only the worst roads. With the elimination of provincial funding in 1995, many municipalities struggled to close the funding gap. In the Town of Markham just north of Toronto, as in much of the Greater Toronto Area, this problem was compounded by the fact that the roads built during the housing boom of the 1970s were nearing their 25th anniversary. The backlog of road repairs had grown. The story of how Markham overcame its backlog and planned for its future, and did it in a way that meets sustainability priorities, contains lessons that apply not just to paving but to many of the challenges municipalities face today. Markham decided to break the old cycle of dealing with the worst roads first and move to a proactive sustainable preservation strategy.
Beyond “worst first”
Markham’s backlog of road repairs totaled about 60 kilometres by 2000. In 2001, the municipality decided to first deal with the backlog, and when that was done it would then be feasible to move beyond the “worst first” approach to a more sustainable approach. Accordingly, Markham adopted a five-year plan to rehabilitate 117 km of its 955 km inventory of roads, partly to clear the backlog, but also
to address additional road needs during that period. Part of the answer was financial — doubling the investment in roads from $2 million per year to $4 million, and indexing that level of funding over the years. The other part of the answer was the development of a continuous improvement program with the objective of sustainability, focusing key drivers defined as: • Community: maintain a high ratio of roads rated as Good or Better; • Economic: find ways to reduce the overall lifecycle cost; and, • Environmental: reduce the environmental impacts of the rehabilitation work. Moving from a reactive to a proactive strategy involved finding new ways of working. This included training staff to inventory roads in a new way. Rather than looking for potholes that needed to be fixed, Markham’s road crews were trained to recognize early-stage problems such as cracks that might turn into potholes without intervention. Visual inspection was backed by a testing program that helped find problems before they became serious. This meant buying more testing equipment and training staff in its use. As well, new equipment was purchased to seal cracks and other elements of the sustainable, proactive maintenance approach.
Expanded asphalt stabilization
As Markham adopted several techniques to “reseal” the surface of new and rehabilitated roads early in their lifecycle — to extend longevity and “ride-ability” — the town discovered that many roads were structurally unable to handle increasing traffic loads and volumes. The conventional approach to increase the strength of the road base would involve full February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 13
RECYCLING
excavation; this would be expensive and disruptive, and would generate cycling techniques such as EAS may be impractical or too difficult to be a large volume of waste aggregate and asphalt. effective. In the case of intersections and cul-de-sacs, roundabouts, narMarkham sought a better solution to meet its sustainability objectrow laneways and along streets with low tree canopies, Markham often ives. needs to use more conventional techniques that do not involve recycling. Working with its asphalt contractor, the town adapted a recycResults ling technique called Full Depth Reclamation with Expanded Asphalt Markham is pleased with the results to date. Staff compared EAS paveStabilization (EAS). This technique is widely used on rural highways ment performance with roads rehabilitated with conventional “shaveand roads but needed to be adapted for urban roads with curbs and gutand-pave” (S&P) approaches (shaving off a layer of asphalt and resurfaters. EAS involves a machine driven along the distressed pavement cing the road with hot mix asphalt). While the information is preliminary that uses a milling drum to rip up the pavement along with some of and the sample size is small, comparisons of roads rehabilitated using the granular material below it; the mixture is then injected with foamed the two techniques in 2002, 2003 and 2004 found that the roads done asphalt and compacted in place. The new pavement layer is at least 20 with EAS consistently out-performed the S&P roads and will make an percent stronger and will last 20 percent longer than the one it replaced. excellent base for preservation techniques. The in-place recycling method requires no additional aggregate and with The cost of EAS is comparable to S&P when the longer lifespan is taken the cold-foamed asphalt, also reduces energy needs and emissions. into account. With EAS combined with the preservation program, Markham EAS still requires a top layer of hot mix asphalt and Markham found expects to reduce pavement costs by $25 million over the next 25 years. a sustainable solution for that as well. The town partnered with the The big picture is also encouraging. In 2004, 86 percent of Markham’s Miller Group and the University of Waterloo on an Ontario Centres of roads were rated as Good or Better; in 2008 it was 89 percent. While the Excellence grant to use old tear-off shingles as an additive to the asphalt provincial average has been trending downwards since 2004 to 70 permix, to reduce the volume of virgin aggregate and improve the quality cent in 2008, Markham’s roads are among the best in Ontario. of the final product. In 2007 and 2008, 135 tonnes of used shingles Stewardship/AB/SWR were 2/9/10 1:31 PM Page 1 diverted from landfill and applied to Markham roads; these roads are Peter Loukes, P.Eng., is Director, Operations in the Community & Fire performing admirably. Services Commission for the Town of Markham. Although Markham needed to adapt EAS to its urban setting through Contact Peter at ploukes@markham.ca some innovative approaches, it has found situations where pavement-re-
IT’S A
FIT TO BE TRIED
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RECYCLING SIDEBAR
by Chad Curtis “Only 7 gallons of oil are needed to retread a used tire compared to 22 gallons to produce a new tire, a 70 per cent difference.”
Tire-to-Tire Recycling Devulcanization adds value to rubber shred
T
he number of scrap tires generated in North America is staggering. According to a report published in November 2009 by the US EPA, consumers and industry in the United States generated just under 300 million scrap tires, or approximately five million tonnes of nonbiodegradable waste rubber, in 2008. The EPA estimates that about a billion tires are dumped every year in landfills worldwide. The good news is that recycling of scrap tires has increased exponentially over the last decade. Government agencies in many countries have worked with industry to raise awareness and find new beneficial and commercially-viable ways to use recycled scrap tires. New markets continue to develop for recycled rubber, creating what is now a multibillion dollar industry. Today, the largest scrap tire markets are: tire-derived fuel (TDF), civil engineering applications, crumbed-rubber applications. Scrap tires are typically shredded or chopped into pieces, then sold as nuggets, crumbs or mulch depending on size. Some recyclers have evolved technologies that enable them to grind scrap rubber into powder form. Converting scrap rubber into fine dust allows it to be used as a cost-reducing additive and filler in the production of various products. Recycled and reclaimed rubber is now used in the creation of injury-reducing playground surfaces, non-slip flooring and pool aprons, waterproof membranes and seals for construction, building foundations, roof tiles, packaging filler and bags, floating docks, tennis courts, noise barriers, asphalt additive, concrete additive, railroad ties, conveyor belts, footwear, carpet underlay, roof tiles, live stock mattress, thermoplastic “elastomers”, and myriad other eco-friendly products. Modern and highly efficient rubber-recycling technologies are emerging to supply tomorrow’s largest market for recycled scrap rubber: the fabrication of new and retread tires. The Tire Retread Information Bureau estimates 24 million tires are retreaded and sold each year in the U.S. and Canada. Most are used by the trucking, aircraft, construction and agriculture industries. Retread tires offer a lower cost alternative to new tires. They’re also a “green” product that saves millions of gallons of oil each year. Only seven gallons of oil (on average) are needed to retread a used tire compared to 22 gallons to produce a new tire, reducing oil required for tire production by 70 per cent. Many tire manufacturers incorporate recycled rubber into their tires and retreads. But until now, they could only blend in one to two per cent recycled rubber powder without risking performance safety or even catastrophic failure. This was because powdered rubber lost essential properties that are inherent in “virgin” rubber, such as elasticity and resilience — properties that are vital for tire performance and safety.
Magnum D’Or Resources
Magnum D’Or Resources is one company determined to change this. As an innovative tire recycling company, it’s developed next-generation processing technologies and techniques that enable the production of custom multi-application recycled rubber powder compounds that have the elasticity and resilience of natural virgin rubber.
Tread and sidewall extrusion containing 20 per cent Magnum SRI custom compound being introduced to the tire.
Magnum’s closed-loop recycling technology eliminates the greenhouse gases produced by old-fashioned recycling processes, removing the steel mesh and fibre from the scrap tires and converting them into purified high-grade tire crumb. The company has collaborated with Sekhar Research Innovations that has granted it exclusive North American rights to a unique activation and devulcanization process that imparts to recycled rubber the same elasticity and resilience as virgin rubber and allows for the creation of new custom compounds. Independent test results validate that Magnum SRI’s rubber-activated compounds possess all the properties of natural rubber compounds, meeting all technical and performance parameters needed for valueadded applications. Magnum’s entry into the market comes at a time when rubber manufacturers have been squeezed between recessionary forces and higher fuel and operating costs, hurting margins and driving up product prices. Now, using custom formulated re-activated powder compounds, new truck tire, retread and motorcycle tire manufacturers can blend in an unprecedented proportion of recycled content of between eight and 25 per cent, depending on the performance specifications of the application. This substantial usage of recycled content translates into substantial savings in raw material costs for manufacturers without any compromise in performance, properties and safety. Chad Curtis is the Founder of Magnum d’Or Resources Inc. and Magnum Recycling Canada, Inc in Magog, Quebec. Contact Chad at mdor@magnumresources.net February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 15
C O M M E R C I A L WA S T E
Shred It!
Don’t let secure document destruction go to waste
T
he next time you see a tree, consider the “shred-all, recycle all” best practices of secure document destruction. What many people don’t realize is that every time two shredding consoles provided by Shred-it are filled, organizations have saved one tree. Shred-it, a Canadian-based company providing secure information destruction, helps reduce companies’ negative environmental footprint while protecting customers’ (and subsequently their customers’) sensitive information. Saving trees is among the many environmental advantages of secure information destruction. By shredding and recycling paper waste, experts estimate the company annually helps save 9.4 million trees, 3.6 billion gallons of water, 522,000 cubic metres of landfill space and 520,000 tonnes of paper recycled into various types of paper products. (Estimates are from Earth 911, Environmental Defence and Conservatree.) Thinking green is not always on the minds of organizational decision-makers when they think about document destruction. Since the company’s inception in 1988, Shred-it has educated a broad range of organizations regarding how they can meet their information security, compliance, productivity and sustainability objectives with secure document destruction. Organizations worldwide have embraced shred-all, shred regularly, shred at the source and shred before recycling policies and values. These principles create a tight security process for document destruction, ensuring a high information security environment and preventing human error or malice. 16 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
by J. Ryan Pryznyk “Security breaches come with a hefty estimated $2.5 billion a year price tag to Canadian consumers and businesses.”
“SHRED ALL, RECYCLE ALL” CHECKLIST: • To store paper waste in the office, utilize special locked consoles rather than open blue recycling bins; avoid depositing paper waste in unsupervised areas. • Make sure your paper documents are always securely destroyed on site before going to the recycling facility. • Since strip-shredded documents can still be reassembled, where possible use cross-cut shredding technology. • Make sure your organization’s document destruction process supports your environmental objectives in a measurable way. • Request a certificate outlining the volume of paper recycled or number of trees saved by your organization from your document destruction vendor. For more information, please visit www.shredit.com
Before baling paper, Shred-it cross-cuts pages so they cannot be reassembled. EMF a 12/12/08
According to the Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus, security breaches come with a hefty estimated $2.5 billion a year price tag to Canadian consumers and businesses. To prevent these breaches, Shredit recommends that all paper waste follow a secure process of going directly into locked security consoles specifically designated for shredding. Documents should be stored there securely until destroyed, at regular intervals, by professional, background-checked staff. Document pieces should be recycled only after destruction, when they are transformed into unidentifiably small pieces — a critical measure that eliminates the potential for information theft. Shred-it’s policy is to not have any paper waste go to landfill, a best practice that all companies should adopt. After the documents are destroyed, the loose paper confetti is turned into a paper bale that’s sent to a paper mill for recycling into such items as paper towels, cardboard boxes and napkins. As organizations develop their risk mitigation, environmental and procurement plans, they should remember that the advantages of secure document destruction span far beyond the environment. The primary benefit is the
“According to the Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus, security breaches come with a hefty estimated $2.5 billion a year price tag to Canadian consumers and businesses.”
10:48 AM
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e-mail : time@emfcontainers.com www.emfcontainers.com February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 17
C O M M E R C I A L WA S T E
Secure shredding practices in the office. Inset: All types of paper can be recycled in the secure unit.
safeguarding of an organization’s reputation through protection against identity theft and fraud, risk of which is expected to increase in uncertain economic times. Office documents that enter the recycling stream without being securely destroyed beforehand can fall into the wrong hands at any point after they leave your organization’s premises. J. Ryan Pryznyk is Vice President of Operations Strategy for Shred-it in Oakville, Ontario. Contact Ryan at ryan.pryznyk@shredit.com
Choose the Leader in Container Management Solutions Recycling & Waste Collection Rehrig Pacific understands collection containers. We can also provide effective asset and participation tracking services to help you focus on what you do best – your core business. Call today for more information.
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A fAmily trAdition of growth, service And innovAtion
180431_RPC_CollectCombo_SWR_FebMar10.indd www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010 1
1/25/10 11:19:26 AM
Published by HazMat Management and Solid Waste & Recycling magazines. PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH:
Ontario Solar FIT program
SPONSORED BY:
CLEAN TECH CANADA editorial
Cleantech will lead the economy through the next decade
MUSCULAR CLEANTECH
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lobally, three main drivers promise to make clean technology (“cleantech”) a major force. First, climate change is better understood so there is a new drive to reduce carbon emissions. Second, world populations continue to increase, driving up the consumption of natural resources. Third, ongoing access to oil and gas is uncertain and finite, thus spurring initiatives to develop alternate energy sources. While Copenhagen was a disappointment to most, Prime Minister Harper did get one thing right; Canada cannot have an effective carbon reduction mandate until the United States does. The United States has seen the green light. Obama pledged to embrace a green energy economy. He proposes federal carbon mitigation legislation to cut greenhouse emissions dramatically. Part of the solution is a cap-andtrade system structured to generate US$15 billion annually for investment in renewable energy. The Economic Stability Act contains tax breaks and incentives for renewable energy and cleantech. The Act will boost the cleantech industry and create new “green-collar” jobs, a key component of the Democrats’ plan to re-energize the U.S. economy. Time will tell how much this agenda is affected by the election of the new Republican senator from Massachusetts and the new power balance in the US Senate. If the United States restricts carbon emissions from its own manufacturers, it will not permit the migration of U.S. jobs to countries with less stringent controls. The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will regulate carbon emissions, even if Congress does not act. What are we doing in Canada to kick start the green economy? Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government has passed the Green Energy Act providing for, among other things, a “feed in tariff” programme by which renewable energy is purchased at premium prices on
by David Pamenter
“We have formed CleantechNorth to mentor promising cleantech companies possessing intellec tual property, man agement, scalability and the desire to grow internationally.”
20 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
20-year contracts. (See Cover Story here. ) A deal for establishing wind and solar equipment manufacturing facilities in Ontario has recently been announced with Samsung. Other provinces have less dramatic initiatives in play; but really there is not a lot more and the feds are becoming fixated on fiscal restraints. Our country must develop a green strategy quickly — one that includes more effective ways to encourage the development and exploitation of new technologies, or we will lose many more of our cleantech innovators to Waltham and we will not replace the jobs lost across the country. As a reaction to this vacuum, Gary Schwartz, David Berg, Albert Behr and I are putting our shoulders to the wheel. We have formed CleantechNorth to mentor promising cleantech companies possessing intellectual property, management, scalability and the desire to grow internationally. CleantechNorth will select 10-15 companies focussed on water, air and energy for this purpose. There is also a public face. CleantechNorth held its first conference in November for 250 attendees and we will hold our second event in the spring, to be focused on “Cleantech in the City.” CleantechNorth is supported by organizations such as Gowling Lafleur Henderson, Royal Bank Group, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Cooley Godward, Hub International, GrowthWorks, MaRS, BDC, GCI, McQuarrie and many others. These sponsors will actively help coach our member companies. Take a look and sign up at cleantechnorth.com (or cleantechnorth on LinkedIn). Despite the questions, complications and current economic malaise, we can expect significant progress in the cleantech industry in the very near future. We can also anticipate an increased drive toward more eco-friendly processes in all businesses. This will be caused in part by the need to reduce costs as energy prices rise and as costs are attached to carbon emissions. We will also see a rising chorus of voices encouraging social responsibility in cleantech matters; a different workplace dynamic because young employees are more interested in such issues than their present managers; “green activists” in the media, among our customers and at shareholder meetings. Stay tuned — cleantech is becoming more muscular!
David Pamenter is a business law partner with Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in Toronto, Ontario and also the national leader of the firm’s Technology Industry Group. Contact David at david.pamenter@gowlings.com
CLEAN TECH CANADA
ONTARIO’S FEED-IN TARIFF SPURS ROOFTOP SOLAR PROJECTS
HERE COMES THE SUN
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he Ontario government’s new Feed-In Tariff for solar power has only been in place for a few months, but already it’s spurring a huge amount of activity and setting the stage for the construction of literally hundreds of industrial, commercial and institutional rooftop solar power systems across the province over the next few years. Many building owners — some with environmental missions and others with purely economic motives — have taken note of this new program and are wondering whether and how to get in on the action. If they do want to install solar power systems on one or
“The developer can pay the building owner somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 annually for 20 years for the use of the roof.” by David Oxtoby
more of their roofs, the most fundamental decision building owners face is whether they want to pay the capital cost themselves, or alternatively let a third party own the system. With the ownership option, the building owner buys the system and sells the power it generates to the government under the Feed-In Tariff (commonly referred to as the FIT). This approach normally results in a simple payback of eight to 10 years — too long for most organizations, especially when compared to faster returns for other environmental opportunities such as energy efficiency measures. For this reason many building owners are looking at the alternative of renting roof space to solar power developers eager to own and operate the systems over the long term. A number of solar developers have sprung up in the past year, and many are now scrambling to tie up roof space for potential systems. But until the market reaches some kind of equilibrium, the big question will be how much rent they can realistically pay. Estimates vary widely, with the low end of the range potentially insufficient to justify the hassle of making a roof available, and the high end of the range potentially jeopardizing the long-term financial viability of the system owners leasing the space. Let’s consider some of the potential costs and benefits of hosting a solar power system. Please note, however, that many of the following comments are applicable only to Ontario and not to installing systems in other provinces or February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 21
CLEAN TECH CANADA
U.S. states with different incentives, though the learnings in Ontario could be useful in other jurisdictions.
Ontario’s program The Ontario Feed-In Tariff is a European-style incentive which requires the government to buy all of the electricity generated by qualifying photovoltaic (PV) systems at fixed rates — well in excess of current prices for grid electricity — for 20 years. This is the same type of incentive Germany has used since 2000, leading to that nation’s global dominance in terms of total capacity of systems installed. Under the FIT, the Ontario Power Authority pays: • 71.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated by rooftop systems up to 250 kilowatts (kW) in size; • 63.5 cents per kWh for systems sized 250-500kW; • 53.9 cents for systems larger than 500kW. While these rates are high, they are fixed for 20 years with no escalators. The justification for the FIT rates is that they incentivize the generation of clean energy on a distributed basis (i.e., close to where it’s needed), helping the province keep its promise to close down its remaining coal-fired power plants and reducing the need for new power trans22 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
mission and distribution infrastructure. Ontario solar system content requirements of 50 per cent in 2010 and 60 per cent thereafter are mandated in order to foster job creation. Ontario has chosen the FIT rates very carefully, and they do not create any real windfalls for building owners or solar project developers.
Benefits for building owners Let’s take as a standard example a building with a 50,000 square foot, unshaded roof. This is sufficiently large to host a 250kW DC system, costing approximately $1.5 million. Depending on where the building is located, the system will generate approximately 275 MWh of electricity per year, which can be sold to the government at $713 per MWh for annual revenues of $196,000. This would yield a simple payback of 7.65 years if it were not for operations and maintenance expenses, which put the payback above eight years. Alternatively, the same building owner could rent the roof space to a third-party owner, who would use debt to leverage the equity returns to above 10 per cent — comparable to those of many other utility or infrastructure-
CLEAN TECH CANADA
like investments. The developer can pay the building owner somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 annually for 20 years for the use of the roof. While this income is essentially a windfall for the building owner, it comes with an obligation to make the roof available for the system for the 20 years, risking the payment of a penalty if plans change and the system needs to be removed. It’s also worth noting that the most attractive buildings are those whose roofs have been recently built or replaced, and that buildings with older roofs requiring replacement part-way through the life of a solar power system may not benefit from the same economics.
Important considerations Some building owners have concerns about the solar technology itself, and think of it as somewhat unproven. Nothing could be further from the truth. Systems are solid state — most use silicon technology dating back to the 1950s — and the solar modules themselves are so well understood that they normally carry 25 year manufacturers’ warranties. Other important questions many building owners raise include: • Who is responsible for the roof if there is a leak? • Where does the power go and are electricity bills affected? • Who owns the environmental attributes associated with the clean power? • Does the system affect property taxes? • What happens if the building is sold or there is a need to have the system removed? In general, solar developers work with roofing contractors to ensure that roof warranties are maintained. This means that any problems with a roof are still a matter for the roofer, unless it can be clearly shown that the solar system caused them. The power generated is metered separately, and does not affect electricity bills. From a technical standpoint the electrons created by the system may flow into the building,
“Building owners can rent roof space to a third-party owner who uses debt to leverage equity returns above 10 per cent.”
but from a financial standpoint they are sold to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). The environmental attributes are also transferred to the OPA. For marketing purposes, a building owner can say that they are hosting a solar power system to help Ontario meet its renewable energy objectives. If the roof is leased, the value of the equipment does not affect the assessed value of the building directly, but the lease income may cause property taxes to be slightly higher when rates are re-assessed, but this is not yet certain as the income may end up being exempted from property tax, as it is in many U.S. jurisdictions. If the building is sold, the lease agreement can be transferred to the new owner. Alternatively if the building is to be taken down or otherwise modified such that the system cannot remain in place, the building owner has the option to buy out the system, and sell the solar panels and equipment to someone who can use them at another location.
Future outlook Perhaps the biggest question to wrestle with is whether the FIT program represents the best possible opportunity for rooftop solar, or whether a better incentive will be announced in future. If this were the case, early adopters might rue their decision to tie up their roofs for 20 years starting today. Experience in other jurisdictions, however, generally shows most incentives for solar power being reduced over time as costs are reduced and uptake by building owners becomes more widespread. That is why solar developers and an increasing number of building owners are convinced that now is the time to “take to the roofs.”
David Oxtoby is CEO of CarbonFree Technology, a solar power project developer based in Toronto, Ontario. Contact David at info@carbonfreetehnology.com February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 23
CLEAN TECH CANADA
SOLVING A TRILLION-DOLLAR PROBLEM
PIPELINE PHYSICALS over half of this figure. This cost is calcu calculated on replacing entire systems based on an estimated useful life rather than the actual condition of the asset. As a result of this massive infrastructure upgrade figure, a growing number of municipalities are turning to the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) to help diagnose the condition of their pipelines and to extend the life of their buried assets.
PPIC PPIC was established by Dr. Brian Mergelas after he received his Ph.D. in Physics at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. During his time at the University, he studied under Professor David Atherton, who worked closely with, and mentored, Dr. Mergelas. Professor Atherton is recognized as a global expert in pipeline inspection technology and is A Sahara leak detection crew concredited with the development of Remote ducts an inspection in Dallas, Texas. Field Transformer Coupling (RFTC) technology. This technology was a true breakthrough as it was able to provide t’s common knowledge that an annual medical exam accurate information about the location, distribution and can help extend your life expectancy through early number of wire breaks in pre-stressed concrete cylinder pipe detection of health problems. Government guidelines (a common pipe material for large diameter water transmisrecommend that healthy adults begin examinations at sion mains). the age of 40. With the RFTC technology as a base, Dr. Mergelas What’s not as commonly known is that in Canada, like founded PPIC in 1997 to help utilities assess the condition many other regions of the world, a large percentage of of their pipelines, to help optimize infrastructure investwater pipelines have a much older average age. Based on a ments, stop water loss due to leaks, reduce risk of rupture number of reasons — from inadequate design to improper and ensure environmental compliance. installation to years of service — pipes are failing and the Just like a medical exam would start with the major problem will only increase over time. organs of a human body, Dr. Mergelas believes that muniIn the United States alone, it’s estimated that a $1 trillion cipalities should take the same approach and focus more investment is required over the attention on establishing the condition of large mains, rannext 20 years to replace aging ging in diameter from 12 to over 250 inches. Large diameter water and wastewater inframains are vital to local economies, can cause millions of structure; pipelines represent just dollars of damage and liability in the event of a rupture, and have the potential of losing massive volumes of water via undetected leaks. The bottom line is that there is a much “For every one greater ROI to regularly examine these large diameter mains per cent reduction versus small diameter network lines within residential areas.
I
by Michael Stadnyckyj
in NRW level, Maynilad recovers around 23 million litres of water a day.”
24 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
The technology Today, PPIC is capable of inspecting a variety of pipeline materials, including concrete, plastic, iron and steel using two core technologies, RFTC and Sahara® leak detection. RFTC technology has come a long way since it was first wheeled through a pipe on a red wooden wagon in
CLEAN TECH CANADA Texas. The technology can best be described as an MRI for pipelines as it identifies areas of distress within the pipe structure. It functions much in the same way as a radio transmitter and receiver. The “transmitter” produces an electromagnetic field. The pre-stressing wires in the pipe amplify the signal that’s recorded by the “receiver.” If there are broken wires, the signal is distorted. A measurement of the distortion quantifies the number of broken wires and the “health” of the pipe. Because of the accuracy of this technology, the client base quickly expanded throughout the Southern United States and Middle East. As a direct result of federal support through the National Research Council’s Industry Research Assistance Program and through PRECARN and Sustainable Development Technology Canada, the RFTC technology has been further evolved and a new, free swimming RFTC inspection tool called PipeDiver™ was developed. PipeDiver™ represents a significant step forward as it reduces the cost of inspection by allowing the utility to perform the inspection at any point in time without shutting down the pipeline. PPIC is also a global leader in the application of leak detection technologies for largediameter water mains. Identifying leaks is critical for municipalities to con-trol water loss, ensure integrity of pipe bedding and to optimize production costs; there is no reason to expand a water plant if a large volume of water is being lost via distribution mains, not to mention the cost of treatment chemicals or energy to move the water over long distances. Sahara™ technology uses a tethered acoustic device at the end of a cable which can be deployed up to 1,800 meters into an operating pipeline. The technology is used by major cities around the world including London, Sao Paulo, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Toronto. Sahara™ technology has identified over 300 mega liters per day of water leaks to date and has recognized very high rates of return for these major cities. The majority of the company’s business comes from either regions of the world that require the transport of large volumes of water over great distances or from large cities where the age of pipelines is becoming a significant infrastructure factor due to ruptures. Mayors, city councils, public works departments and citizens need to remember that water main breaks don’t need to be a fact of life. Advanced condition assessment technologies such as PipeDiver™ and Sahara™ are proven to reduce ruptures and extend the life of pipeline infrastructure. This helps to make the trillion dollar investment more manageable by not wasting money replacing assets that are in good condition, while extending the time period under which critical investments must be made from 20 to 30 or even 40 years. All of this is possible through a simple annual “pipeline physical.”
Project examples The City of El Paso is the fifth largest in Texas with a population of approximately 700,000. To meet the water needs of the residents, the utility operates over 3,500 kilometers of water transmission mains. The utility was concerned about the condition of a 24 inch water main which experienced a rupture and was situated near a natural gas pipeline. Prior to simply replacing the water main, PPIC was called in to conduct an RFTC inspection of the main and found it to be in good condition. As a result of the inspection, the utility had confidence that the asset was in good condition and was able to avoid replacing the line with an estimated cost savings over $3 million.
Above: PPIC technicians prepare the new, free swimming PipeDiver tool for inspection into a water pipeline. Above left: Construction crew attaching PipeDiver insertion sleeves to a large diameter pipeline. One of the biggest challenges with the new RFTC technology was overcoming insertion and removal in live pipelines.
In the Philippines, PPIC recently signed a long term Sahara™ leak detection contract with Maynilad Water Services. The Water Utility is committed to modernizing its infrastructure and reducing non revenue water (NRW) loss. Since 2007, Maynilad has brought down its water loss level from 66 per cent to 59 per cent through an aggressive NRW management program. For every one per cent reduction in NRW level, Maynilad recovers around 23 million litres of water a day that it allocates to areas that need additional supply. This project is expected to have short-term ROI and build on the success of Sahara™ operations in other major global cities such as London, England. Thames Water has found over 960 main leaks representing 130-200 mega liters per day of water during a multi-year deployment of Sahara™ technology.
Michael Stadnyckyj is Director of Communications for The Pressure Pipe Inspection Company in Mississauga, Ontario. Contact Michael at mike.stadnyckyj@ppic.com February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 25
CLEAN TECH CANADA
OSTARA NUTRIENT RECOVERY TECHNOLOGIES INC.
CLOSING THE PHOSPHOROUS LOOP
Ostara’s process operating at Clean Water Services’ Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tigard, Oregon; the first commercial facility to launch in the US.
A
mongst all the challenges to environmental sustainability, there is one that few people today have even heard of, but which within a generation could likely become the most pressing concern for humanity globally. The issue has already prompted various national governments to take action, and is now just beginning to receive attention in mainstream scientific media. A Canadian company based in Vancouver, BC has already found the solution, and it originates from almost every household in the country. When most Canadians flush the toilet they don’t give much thought to what happens next. In most cases the sewage flows to a municipal treatment plant to be cleaned before the water is discharged back into the environment. The cleaning process needs to remove various contaminants from the sewage to prevent them from polluting our waterways, and as our society has developed, the quality of this treatment has improved, driven by federal and provincial regula-
by Phillip Abrary
26 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
tion. Much of the focus for this improvement now focuses on nutrients — nitrogen and phosphorus — which an increasing number of wastewater treatment plants facing more stringent regulations on nutrient disposal must deal with. Phosphorus originates from phosphate rock, which is mined from a relatively limited number of deposits and converted into fertilizer for applications such as growing agricultural crops. The element is required by every form of life on earth, including humans, and the food we eat. The vast majority of the phosphorus we consume ends up in our waste, however; hence the need for wastewater treatment plants to remove it. Until recently, removing it was the end of the story, but now a Canadian company — Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. — has developed a process that enables the phosphorus to be recycled back into a high-purity fertilizer product. Estimates of global phosphate rock reserves vary, but some put it at as little as forty years. Further, being an element, it cannot be substituted (unlike, say, the renewable energy used to replace our dependence on fossil fuels). That’s why closing the loop by recycling this material is so important. Ostara’s technology, branded the PEARL™ Process, was developed at the University of British Columbia, and was then commercialized in May 2005 when the company was founded. Headquartered in downtown Vancouver, BC, Ostara is backed by VantagePoint, a venture capital firm that has appointed Robert F. Kennedy to Ostara’s board. Since 2005, Ostara has successfully scaled up the technology from the lab to a commercial level and constructed two full scale facilities, the first of their kind in the world. The first of these (in Edmonton, Alberta) became operational in May 2007, and the second (in Portland, Oregon) in May 2009. Another two facilities are currently under construction in the Suffolk, VA and York, PA.
The technology The technology is based on the precipitation of phosphorus, together with magnesium and nitrogen (in the form of ammonia), in a fluidized bed reactor. The material that’s precipitated is a mineral deposit called Struvite (MgNH4PO4.6H2O), and the “magic” of the PEARL Process is the way the Struvite is formed into small, hard pellets, which are ready for use as a fertilizer without any further processing. Struvite deposits often form accidentally in wastewater treatment plants, where they occur as a concrete like scale, causing pipes to block and equipment such as pumps and valves to fail. By forming Struvite under controlled condi-
Ostara’s PEARL™ Nutrient Recovery Process.
tions, Ostara’s process prevents this accidental scaling, saving treatment plant owners significant operating costs. Further, by removing phosphorus and nitrogen and converting these nutrients into fertilizer, the job of the treatment plant in ensuring these potential contaminants are not discharged into the environment is made easier, which again saves money, and also helps to secure regulatory compliance. The conventional treatment alternative to the PEARL Process is the dosing of chemicals which bind to the phosphorus; not only is this costly — it prevents the valuable element from being recovered. In contrast, Ostara’s process produces a premium fertilizer branded Crystal Green®. The company takes responsibility for marketing this fertilizer and commits to share the sales revenue generated back with the treatment plant owner. All of these financial benefits result in very attractive payback periods, typically from three to five years.
In summary, Ostara’s technology: • Promotes environmental sustainability by recovering polluting nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, from sewage sludge liquids that would otherwise be released into the environment; • Helps wastewater treatment plants reduce chemical demand and other operating costs and increase throughput capacity; • Converts the recovered nutrients into a high value slowrelease fertilizer product that is being sold in the turf and nursery industries; • Displaces greenhouse gas-intensive phosphate fertilizer production methods.
Phillip Abrary is President and CEO of Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. in Vancouver, BC. Contact Phillip at fpabrary@ostara.com
on
Knowledge is power. Ontario’s new power procurement program is already making a significant impact on the province’s production and consumption of electricity. Many businesses will now face a challenging period of adjustment as they gain an understanding of how the feed-in tariff program will work and what it all means for them going forward. Our National CleanTech Group has the expertise to help make sense of the new landscape being shaped by the introduction of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act. We can advise on all its aspects, including: •
the new feed-in tariff program and its provincial content requirements
•
renewable energy approvals and other required permits
•
financing for renewable energy projects and joint venture structures
•
project divestitures and acquisitions
For more information, contact: Aaron Atcheson Leader, National CleanTech Group 519.931.3526 or 416.595.2996 aatcheson@millerthomson.com
February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 27
CLEAN TECH CANADA
PLASCO ENERGY GROUP INC.’S WASTE TREATMENT SOLUTION
ENERGY CONVERSION
I
n a time when communities are being required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and relieve burdened landfills, conversion technologies have the potential to shape a sustainable future for waste management. Attitudes are shifting to view garbage as a resource, inspiring many companies to design systems that can process waste efficiently while reducing negative impacts on the environment. Plasco Energy Group Inc. (Plasco) is a waste conversion and energy generation company based in Ottawa, Canada. Plasco’s patented technology advances traditional plasma gasification in the treatment of municipal solid waste. The company finances, builds, and operates facilities that convert
by Rod Bryden
“The company has also signed a contract for a commercial facility in Red Deer, Alberta.”
28 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
municipal solid waste into green power and other valuable products. The company’s conversion system is the result of over thirty years of research and development by Resorption Canada Limited and RCL Plasma Inc., the predecessor companies from which Plasco was formed in April, 2005. Plasco (RCL) was founded in 1974 for the purpose of applying plasma technology for materials testing. In the early 1980s the focus was changed to apply plasma gasification to remediate all types of waste. Decades of testing and design have been invested to develop breakthrough performance both economically and environmentally.
The technology Plasco’s non-incineration process is fundamentally different than any competing thermal technology. Rather than using plasma torches directly on garbage, Plasco uses plasma only to refine the gases released from the gasification of the waste in an oxygen-starved conversion chamber. With the torches interacting only with the gas, there is limited electricity demand. In the process, garbage is converted into a synthetic gas (syngas) that’s then used to run internal combustion engines. The Plasco process results in net energy production while converting 98 per cent of waste to clean, valuable products. Because the garbage is gasified and not burned, the mul-
CLEAN TECH CANADA
Plasco Energy Group Inc. (Plasco) is a waste conversion and energy generation company based in Ottawa, Canada.
tiple and capital-intensive pollution abatement systems required by incinerators can be replaced with single string units that yield class-leading environmental performance. The result is ultra-low emission engine exhaust that will meet or beat the world’s toughest environmental standards. Any remaining solids are melted with plasma torches into a liquid slag. Once cooled, it returns to a solid, inert material and becomes a clean aggregate suitable to make concrete or be mixed with asphalt. Leachability tests have been conducted on the slag and have confirmed that it does not leach and is non-toxic. Along with construction aggregate, agricultural sulphur, commercial salt and recycled metals, Plasco’s process also recovers and treats water for release into the environment. The entire process is continuously monitored by a proprietary control system that ensures syngas stability to fuel internal combustion engines regardless of variations in energy content of the waste.
Benefits and facility With Plasco, over 98 per cent of residual waste is diverted from landfill, eliminating methane emissions, leachate escape and soil contamination. Power from a Plasco facility also displaces other power sources that have higher greenhouse gas intensity such as coal. By distributing facilities across a city, Plasco is able to minimize truck traffic and road congestion. Distributed facilities also mean February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 29
The Kanata, Ontario Plasco facility.
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that the power produced can be transmitted and consumed over the local network. This eliminates transmission line losses and reduces the likelihood of widespread power outages. Plasco entered into a partnership with the City of Ottawa in April, 2006 for the construction of a commercial-scale demonstration facility across from the City’s Trail Road Landfill. Plasco’s Trail Road Facility is the only operating commercial-scale plant in the world that successfully converts waste into syngas that can run reciprocating gas engines to generate electricity. After its rigorous evaluation and screening of the technology, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a federal not-for-profit foundation that supports clean technologies, committed $9.5 million for the Trail Road Facility. SDTC’s commitment in 2005 was the catalyst for more than $120 million of equity capital from private investors. In October 2009, Plasco reached a major milestone as SDTC celebrated the completion of The Plasco Project, demonstrating the commercial viability of the technology. Plasco is in the final stages of negotiations with the City of Ottawa for a commercial plant that will divert as much as two-thirds of the city’s non-recyclable, residential garbage from landfill. The company has also signed a contract for a commercial facility in Red Deer, Alberta. As society continues to generate increasing amounts of waste, new technologies are needed to replace outdated and inefficient methods. Plasco’s technology is a sustainable solution that will help communities tap into the value of waste and turn garbage into an asset.
Rod Bryden is President and Chief Executive Officer of Plasco Energy Group in Kanata, Ontario. Contact Rod at rbryden@plascoenergygroup.com
CLEAN TECH CANADA
CARBON TAXES AND MARKET MECHANISMS TO REDUCE GHG
TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE IN BC
I
n a world filled with abbreviations and acronyms, do you recognize GHG, NRTEE, PCT, or WCI? Chances are you do, and your customers will soon also (if not already). Faced with a global environmental crisis, many governments and lobbyists are pushing for real environmental change. Change is happening on the greenhouse gas emissions front (albeit at a slow pace) largely in the form of legislative initiatives such as the carbon tax implemented by British Columbia and Quebec, and programs in other jurisdictions that will pave the way for “cap-and-trade” systems there. These developments present opportunities for industry.
“The market value for carbon offsets has yet to be established, but BC is currently paying PCT $25 per tonne of CO2 emissions.” by Tony Crossman (with Charles Bois, Sarah Hansen & Keoni Norgren)
BC initiatives On July 1, 2008, British Columbia introduced a carbon tax through its Climate Action Plan. Almost immediately, Sustainable Prosperity, a think tank out of the University of Ottawa, ranked BC’s carbon tax as the most effective climate change policy in Canada. The tax is meant be phased in over a five-year period, with an initial price of $10 per tonne of carbon, increasing to $30 per tonne by 2012. To the average consumer, this will mean an initial increase in the price of gasoline of 2.41 cents per litre, followed by a subsequent increase to 7.24 cents by 2012. The thinking behind the tax is that “when you tax something, you normally get less of it.” A carbon tax should decrease carbon emissions. (The tax is meant to be “neutral” in that the revenue it generates will be returned to tax payers through reductions in personal income and business taxes.) It remains to be seen whether or not a carbon tax will impact consumer behaviour, or simply drive up the cost of certain items. The real question is whether the average consumer is willing to give up the luxury and convenience of car travel and take public transit. The tax is not without its sceptics, but one must remember that the tax is only one component of a larger emissions reduction plan. BC also became the first Canadian province to join the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) — a group of 21 states and three provinces. The WCI focuses on and is developing a regional cap-and-trade system to reduce GHG emissions. In BC this initiative is supported by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act. By 2010 BC will require public sector organizations to become carbon neutral, in part through February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 31
CLEAN TECH CANADA
“GHG emissions are a global problem, not a regional issue.” the operation of carbon credits administered by the Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT). In anticipating a region-wide cap-andtrade system, the government set limits on GHG emissions through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Cap and Trade) Act. However, GHG emissions are a global problem, not a regional issue. As such, the National Roundtable on the Environment and Economy (NRTEE) has recommended a national cap-and-trade system, one that would maximize the efforts of Canada as a whole. At the federal level, it appears Ottawa shares this sentiment, but progress has been slowed due to Ottawa’s close monitoring of Washington. Ottawa has indicated that Canada’s cap-and-trade system must be similar to the system adopted by the US; that perspective is about keeping Canada’s economy competitive with that of the US and avoiding “needlessly” hindering economic growth.
Reporting mechanisms A requirement of any cap-and-trade system is a reporting mechanism. Alberta was the first Canadian province to implement such a system, but it’s focussed on reducing emissions intensity rather than total emissions. Ontario has also followed suit with the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting Regulation, but it exempts small emitters (between 10,000 and 25,000 tonnes) from the reporting requirement. As a result, Ontario is currently out of step with emerging North American trends. (It has announced that it will encourage voluntary reporting by these emitters.) BC’s reporting regulation requires emitters of greater that 10,000 tonnes/year to report. The reporting obligation applies to a wide range of activities including such things as base metal production, cement production, coal mining, wastewater processing, petrochemical production and refining, and many others. Several key definitions under the BC’s new reporting regulations will determine whether and what the facilities will be required to report. For example, the regulation doesn’t apply to emissions from landfills managed under the Landfill Gas Management Regulation. In addition, the regulation only requires facilities to report direct emissions; there’s no requirement to include and report indirect emissions from suppliers of materials or services to the reporting facility. Companies that fail to comply with the require32 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
ments may be penalized with fines of up to $1 million plus possible jail terms (of up to six months) for any director, officer or agent of the company who knew about, authorized or acquiesced in the offence. The mandate of the PCT is to purchase quality GHG offsets originating in BC from businesses to offset the provincial government’s emissions of one million tonnes per year. The PCT may also purchase and sell offsets and fund new technologies to reduce emissions. The theory behind the PCT is that market forces will generate the most efficient way to reduce emissions and the PCT can assist by providing investment to emissions reducers. The companies that can reduce emissions cheaply will do so and sell their emission credits to others who cannot, or to the PCT. Companies that cannot meet their GHG emission standards will buy carbon credits. (A carbon offset is generated when changes are made by a company to reduce or sequester GHGs such as carbon dioxide. Typically these changes include the generation of renewable energy such as: run-of-river projects; switching to efficient fuels; and, emission storage or sinks.) The market value for carbon offsets has yet to be established, but BC is currently paying PCT $25 per tonne of CO2 emissions. Of course, PCT is acquiring those tonnes through open tender calls that ensure it receives competitive prices. Over time, the price will reflect more of a true market for offsets. These activities are expected to trigger investment in more green technologies and so-called “green collar” jobs. If all goes well, the provincial and federal governments’ attempts to deal with rising GHG emissions will result in reduced GHG emissions and long-term benefits from new eco-efficient technologies and sustainable energy sources.
Tony Crossman (tcrossman@millerthomson.com) is National Leader of the Environment Group of Miller Thomson in Vancouver, BC. This article was prepared with contributions from: Charles Bois (cbois@millerthomson.com), Sarah Hansen (shansen@millerthomson.com) and Keoni Norgren (knorgren@millerthomson.com).
EQUIPMENT 269-793-7183 Phone 269-793-8793 Fax
Polystyrene depot compaction project
The Town of Markham and the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) have announced they will partner on developing best practices for depot-collected Polystyrene cushion and foam food packaging. The pilot project will focus on cold compaction technology for these materials. Markham successfully collects clean PS cushion and food foam at its four municipal depots and is examining cold densification to improve handling and transportation efficiencies while expanding its markets and revenue potential for polystyrene. CPIA is also partnering with Sault Ste Marie and other municipalities across Canada to test other types of cold compaction technologies including mobile units. More information will be forthcoming in following editions of Solid Waste & Recycling magazine. Contact Claudia Marsales at the Town of Markham (905-477-7000 x3560) or Joe Hruska, CPIA Municipal Relations (416-930-1796).
Heritage Kenworth T660 with 2010 engine
Kenworth displayed an aerodynamic Kenworth T660 with 2010 emissions engine at the Technology and Maintenance Council’s (TMC) annual meeting at the Tampa Convention Center in Florida in February. The new 2011 model Kenworth T660 was recently placed into service in Charlotte, N.C., by Heritage Transport, based in Indianapolis. Heritage Transport is the transportation arm of Heritage Environmental Services LLC (www.heritage-enviro.com), a large privately-held hazardous waste management and recycling company with 17 locations. The fleet’s Kenworth T660 is on a full-service lease from Cooper Leasing, a PacLease franchise in Charlotte, N.C. The Kenworth T660 with 72-inch AeroCab® sleeper being showcased has been spec’d to meet EPA SmartWay certification. Powered by a Cummins ISX engine rated at 485 hp and driven through a 10-speed transmission, the tractor utilizes Bridgestone tires with fuel-efficient compounds and has an allelectric idle-control system to reduce engine idling to near zero. With the new Cummins engine, fuel efficiency is expected to be improved by upwards of three per cent. Kenworth Truck Company is an industry leader in providing fuelsaving technology solutions that help increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. The company’s dedication to the green fleet includes aerodynamic trucks, medium duty diesel-electric hybrids, and liquefied natural gas trucks. In 2009, Kenworth became the first truck manufacturer to receive the US EPA’s Clean Air Excellence award in recognition of its environmentally friendly products. In addition, Kenworth is the recipient of the 2009 J.D. Power and Associates awards for Highest in Customer Satisfaction for both Over the Road Segment and Pickup and Delivery Segment Class 8 Trucks. Visit www.kenworth.com
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C O M P O S T I N G M AT T E R S
by Paul van der Werf “Our mission has always been very clear: City Farmer promotes growing food in the city, urban agriculture.”
COMPOSTING PIONEERS
City Farmer
Backyard composting and urban agriculture educators
T
his is the second installment in the Composting Pioneers series that takes a look at some of those that have made significant impacts on composting, in the last twenty years. Educators, and there are many, have made a great impact. They make connections. For people to understand composting on a larger scale they need to connect to it on a smaller scale. Backyard composting offers a number of clear and simple connections about our waste and the food we eat. Few in the public have a clue of the connection between the wastes we generate and the food we eat. The foods that we waste are directed to landfill, where all natural connections between the food and land are broken.
City farmers, Mike and Joan ... circa 1970.
34 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
There are those who try. Local food is all rage these days. It’s as if we discovered something new that, yes, people do grow food close to where we live and it can taste pretty good. And while agreeing with the intent, so disconnected have we as a society become from agriculture that we have to resort to creating gimmicky eat local initiatives like the 100 mile diet (to remind us to do what, until the last 50 years, was pretty much all we could do) and then try to give it legitimacy by slapping on dubious climate change benefits. Often where there is hype, somewhere in the background are the people that have been making quiet long-term efforts that are making a real difference. Vancouver’s City Farmer has been around for about 33 years. Romanticized rumour suggests it was started by hippies. The facts show what an ongoing grassroots difference they are making. prac I first came across them in 1992 with the release of their practical Urban Home Composting booklet. After two years of reading nothing more than academic papers, this was one of the documents that made me realize how to make what I had learned practical. This booklet and others like it were but support for their on-theground activities that include a long-running compost garden and a variety of workshops on composting and urban gardening. There are many that have learned and continue to learn about im how to compost the wastes they generate at home. More importantly they completed the link to City Farmer’s real raison d’être, which is to teach urban people how to grow food. While the composting part of what they do is important, it’s more the means than the end of what they do. The handbook, which is no longer sold today, outlines good how-to composting information, that (save for photos of now unfashionable people) is as relevant today as it was then. It included some great plans on how to make your own composters. activ “We were 1970s environmentalists and social activists who saw the benefits of using urban food gardening for both ‘green’ education and the transformation of our community. The City Farmer a small newspaper produced in August 1978 communicated their earliest thoughts,” says Michael Levenston, a founder and the executive director of City Farmer since its inception. “Our mission has always been very clear: City Farmer promotes growing food in the city, urban agriculture.” Although we have disconnected ourselves from so many things, reconnecting ourselves is easy. “It’s easy to grow something you can eat, Levenston continues, “an herb to include in your recipes, or some salad greens to provide you with fresh food.”
C O M P O S T I N G M AT T E R S
The other simple connection is that you can turn 40 per cent of your waste back into food. “Composting food and yard waste is central to urban agriculture. Organic waste, transformed into a useful product at no cost and used as fertilizer, will help cities pro vide food for residents,” Levenston says. City Farmer runs a very active dem stration garden close to downtown onstration Vancouver. It operates a regional Com post Hotline from the garden. The gar den is open 365 days a year, which allows them to test compost bins, demonstrate the production of many fruits and vegetables, and showcase a wide variety of home “green” technologies such as compost toilets, groundworks/MC7564/SWR 12/5/08 10:23 AM Page 1 green roof, and waterwise plantings. They provide learning opportunities through workshops on com
posting, urban organic gardening, and al al oper ternatives to pesticides. Finally, they oper ate the city’s subsidized worm bin program, the largest such program of any city in the world. Their web site ((www.cityfarmer.org) is widely used and has provided the best infor infor mation on urban agriculture online since 1994. They are the longest continuously running group promoting urban agriculture in the world. When City Farmer was started in 1978 the idea of growing food in the city must have been considered a bit wacky. Even today I imagine some people view it as the domain of the Birkenstock set. In our world of hyper consumerism and some some times thoughtless “disposalism” we may not want to reconnect; but maybe we do. Maybe we want to reduce our environmental impact. Reconnecting was simple in 1978 and it is still simple.
February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 35
C O M P O S T I N G M AT T E R S
“Organic waste,
Since their inception interest has ebbed and flowed. Levenston notes that, “Right now the interest in urban agriculture is very strong with government leaders supporting the work of community groups to provide local food and jobs. Composting remains at the top of people’s ‘green’ agenda. It’s a perfect example of recycling and it also feeds the soil, which helps food plants flourish.” For the last 30 years the impact that groups such as City Farmer have had on people that wanted to learn about composting and growing their own food is profound — it makes an impact today and is a gateway that introduces them to other ways to better manage their environmental impact.
transformed into a useful product at no cost and used as fertilizer, will help cities provide food for residents.”
Asked to look into his crystal ball I asked him do you think that people will be more or less interested in backyard composting and growing their own food in 20 years? “It’s impossible to say. It will depend on the conditions surrounding them in their urban environment. Is there poverty, is there land available for growing food, and are there reasons, which will motivate them to spend time producing some of their food?” It seems almost inconceivable that this need will lessen. Paul van der Werf is president of 2cg Inc. in London, Ontario. Contact Paul at ww.2cg.ca
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by John Nicholson, M.Sc.,P.Eng.
WA S T E B U S I N E S S
“There are a surprising number of Canadian-based companies vying for opportunities in the perceived gold mine that is WTE.”
Who’s Hot? Waste-to-Energy Companies in Canada
A
growing number of Canadian-based companies are betting on the renaissance of thermal treatment to dispose of waste. Once considered taboo in some parts of North America (Ontario actually banned the incineration of municipal solid waste for some time), the move toward zero waste and away from landfilling has brought thermal treatment back into the discussion of waste management alternatives.
New technologies
There are a number of reasons for the rebirth of waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies in Canada. For starters, the technology has improved. Despite claims by some opponents that all thermal treatment technologies should be considered “incinerators in disguise,” emissions data from demonstration tests and growing support, both publically and politically, shows otherwise. Incineration involves combustion with excess air. The byproducts of incineration include bottom ash and fly ash. Newer thermal treatment technologies control the amount of air or do not use air at all. Also, the residues remaining from thermal treatment are either glassy slag and/or fine particulate matter (char). Some of the more popular advanced thermal treatment technologies include gasification, pyrolysis, and plasma. Gasification involves the degradation of waste at temperatures between 900 and 1400°C in a low oxygen atmosphere to produce a combustible gas — referred to as “syngas,” and an inert (possibly vitrified) solid residue.
Company
Technology
Pyrolysis is the thermal degradation of waste at temperatures in excess of 200°C in the complete absence of air. The end product is a mixture of solids (char), liquids (oxygenated oils) and syngas. Inert materials (i.e., metals) are not affected by pyrolysis. Plasma uses a plasma torch at temperatures between 3,000 to 8,000°C in an oxygen-starved environment to completely decompose input waste material into very simple molecules in a process similar to pyrolysis. Products include syngas and a vitrified solid residue.
Companies with facilities
There are a surprising number of Canadian-based companies vying for opportunities in the perceived gold mine that is WTE. The chart shows a summary of the some of the players in the WTE space in Canada. Alter NRG Corp. is based in Calgary and trades on the TSX (TSX: NRG). The company utilizes Westinghouse plasma gasification technology. Two full-scale municipal waste facilities in Japan have been using the technology. Most recently, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Dufferin in Ontario to develop a 75 tonne per day WTE facility. The plant is projected to be fully operational by late 2012. Elementa Group, based in St. Catharines, Ontario is a privately held Canadian Corporation founded by Jayson and Leonard Zwierschke. The technology used by the company is steam reformation. Waste is broken down through the application of high-temperature steam in an indirectly heated rotary kiln. The syngas is formed from the process. The company
Status
Canadian Plans
Alter Nrg, Calgary, AB (TSX: NRG)
Plasma Gasification
Two commercial-scale plants in operating in Japan for the past six years.
75 tpd facility planned for 2012 in County of Dufferin, Ontario
Elementa Group, St. Catharines, ON
Steam Reformation producing syngas
3 tpd pilot facility in Sault Ste. Marie, ON operating since 2007.
Full-scale facility to be operational by the spring of 2011.
Enerkem, Montreal, QC
Thermo-chemical gasification
Pilot plant operating in Sherbrooke, QC since 2003.
Westbury, QC ethanol plant is operational; Edmonton Waste-toBiofuels plant to be operation by mid-2011.
KWSG, North Sydney, N.S.
Two-stage combustion
5 tpd demonstration facility built and tested in N.S. during 1999.
20 tpd facility demonstration facility to be tested in Spring 2010
Plasco Energy Group, Ottawa
Plasma gasification
100 tpd plant in Ottawa and 5 tpd plant in Spain currently operating
Company negotiating with City of Ottawa for a 400 tpd facility; 300 tpd facility planned for Red Deer, AB.
February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 37
WA S T E B U S I N E S S
has a three tonne per day pilot plant operating cility was tested in 1999. A 20 tpd per day sysin Sault Ste. Marie and plans are underway to tem is complete and will be tested this spring. construct a full-scale facility that will be operPlasco Energy Group, headquartered in ational by April 2011. Ottawa, is a private Canadian company with Enerkem, based in Montreal, is a private a number of investors. Plasco technology uses company majority-owned by institutional and plasma gasification to produce syngas. The clean technology investment companies. The company has a 100 tpd demonstration facility company utilizes a propriety thermo-chemical operating in Ottawa and is currently negotiatgasification process to produce syngas that can ing with that city to build and operate a 400 then be converted into liquid fuels. The comtpd facility. Plasco has also signed an agreepany has operated a pilot facility in Sherbrooke ment with the Town of Red Deer, Alberta to Quebec since 2003. build and operate a 300 tpd facility. Kearns Waste Sciences Group (KSWG) Companies with plans for Canada Inc. — based in North Sydney, Nova Scotia A number of other Canadian-based WTE — is privately owned and operated. Quantum companies are moving along the path to comSolutions Technology Ventures (QSTV) Inc. mercialization. Although they don’t currently markets the system worldwide and has sevhave a system in place in Canada, they claim eral international orders pending the success a to have technology with unique capabilities full-scale test burn of a 20 tpd unit currently that separate themselves from the competischeduled the Spring of 2010. The technology tion. Some of those companies include the consists of two-stage combustion similar to following: state-of-the-art incinerators. A 5 tpd pilot 1897 MetalOutAd_3_09:Layout 1 fa3/26/09 12:25 PM Page 1
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• OE Gasification of Waterloo, Ontario: Focused on supplying module gasification systems to treat a variable waste stream. Technology is currently being utilized in Norway and South Korea. • Yield Energy of Toronto, Ontario: The company is focused on the anaerobic digestion of organic waste to produce methane gas. With the emergence of a number of players in the WTE sub-sector in Canada, plans for construction of a number of facilities, and government interest in alternative energy sources to fossil fuels, we could see a mini-building boom of such facilities in the near future. NOTE: If you want your company added to the WTE Canadian companies table, please contact the author. John Nicholson, M.Sc., P.Eng., is a consultant based in Toronto, Ontario. Contact John at john.nicholson@ebccanada.com
R E G U L AT I O N R O U N D U P
by Rosalind Cooper, LL.B “Manitoba’s conservation minister announced several actions to reduce the use of plastic bags in that province.”
Waste Initiatives across Canada Newfoundland waste paint proposal
The Department of Environment and Conservation in Newfoundland and Labrador has been consulting on a proposed new extended producer responsibility program for the recycling of waste paint. The objective of the program is to assist in achieving the 50 per cent waste reduction goal of its provincial solid waste management strategy. Under the proposed program, paint producers and manufacturers would be required to develop, finance and manage the collection and recycling of their paint products. Producers would have the option of initiating their own program, or participating in a program operated by a non-governmental industry stewardship organization. Producers must demonstrate that waste paint is being recycled in an acceptable legal manner, and that new environmentally sustainable products are being developed.
Quebec’s three draft waste regulations
The Draft Recovery and Reclamation of Products by Enterprises Regulation will introduce a new stewardship program for electronics, batteries, fluorescent lamps and mercury lamps. This regulation is intended to facilitate imposing stewardship requirements on various products. The objective is for all stewardship fees to be internalized, rather than being imposed at the retail level. The Draft Charges Payable for the Disposal of Residual Materials Regulation will, in an effort to divert waste, almost double the provincial surcharge on waste sent to landfills. The objective is to bring the cost of disposal in line with the cost of diversion. The additional fee will only be in place for five years, and will be returned to municipalities to assist in developing an organics recovery infrastructure. Quebec also plans to follow Nova Scotia’s initiative by banning the disposal of wastes in landfills, where viable alternatives exist. Paper and cardboard products will be the first items banned. Manufacturers and brand owners of packaging and printed materials will cover all net municipal recycling costs for their products (double what’s currently required). The Draft Financial Guarantees Payable for the Operation of an Organic Matter Reclamation Facility Regulation will require organics processing facilities to post a financial guarantee with the government. Quebec also intends to promote organics diversion and has set aside $650 million to support the construction of a province-wide infrastructure. Once this infrastructure is in place, organics will be banned from landfills.
PEI recycling reg
The Materials Recycling Regulation under the Environmental Protection Act came into force in Prince Edward Island on December 26, 2009. The regulation prohibits the unauthorized operation of a recycling facility, and defines the process and associated requirements to apply for a recycling facility permit. The regulation also defines the process and associated requirements for applying for approval of an electronic ma-
terial stewardship program. Retailers are required to prominently display education and awareness program information that is supplied by brand owners or brand owners’ agents to the retailers. Brand owners or brand owners’ agents who operate an electronic material stewardship program are required to inform the environment minister — in writing by June 30 of each year — of the total quantity of electronic products collected during the previous calendar year. The regulation prohibits the sale, transfer, discarding or disposal of used oil, unless disposal occurs at a return facility, or is delivered to a retailer that provides short-term storage of used oil.
Yukon waste action plan
The Government of Yukon has released an action plan for sustainable waste management intended to reflect Yukon’s unique climate. Challenges to delivering a solid waste disposal program include the remoteness of northern communities and the lower tax base available for funding waste programs due to the small population. A new solid waste advisory committee will provide a forum to discuss waste management issues for municipalities, First Nations, industry stakeholders and certain territorial departments. The plan outlines how Yukon intends to modernize and improve solid waste management practices through community partnerships and exploration of future opportunities. In 2009, Yukon undertook an extensive review of its solid waste operations with the objective of modernizing and improving them. The review assessed all of Yukon’s solid waste facilities and conducted research into approaches in other jurisdictions. Current options for waste disposal include open-trench burning and burial, burn vessels and burial, and transfer stations. Alternatives under consideration include regional landfills, transfer stations with regional landfills, and high-temperature incineration with emission controls.
Manitoba moves on plastic bags
Manitoba’s conservation minister announced several actions to reduce the use of plastic bags in that province. Plastic carry-out bags must contain a minimum of 50 per cent recyclable material within five years. (The current standard is a minimum of 25 per cent recyclable material.) In addition, all stores distributing plastic bags must have take-back programs for recycling, and all plastic sold or distributed in Manitoba must be imprinted with a message reminding users to recycle or reuse the bag. Finally, all compostable or biodegradable plastic bags must be required to meet national or international standards and be certified as such. Manitoba is also considering banning empty plastic bags from landfills altogether and requiring larger municipalities to collect and recycle plastic bags. Rosalind Cooper, LL.B., is a partner with Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, with offices across Canada. Ms. Cooper is based in Toronto, Ontario. Contact Rosalind at rcooper@tor.fasken.com February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 39
NEWS You can hear this new sound by visiting www. sunchips.ca/newsoundofgreen The next edition of this magazine will feature a full article about the new compostable chips bag.
SunChips® introduces first compostable chip bag
The SunChips® brand, Frito Lay Canada’s pop ular line of multigrain snacks, is introducing the world’s first 100 per cent compostable chip bag. This green innovation, a firstofits kind initia tive, will change the way Canadians hear, see and think about product packaging in the future. Starting in March 2010, SunChips pack aging will be made from more than 90 per cent renewable, plantbased materials. This new package will completely break down into compost in a hot, active compost pile in ap proximately 14 weeks. On store shelves, it has a unique sound, the new sound of green.
Routeware’s executive team. Wagers comes to Routeware from the high technology in formation services and software industry. He has extensive knowledge in client services, operations, hardware engineering, general management, business development and stra tegic planning with both Fortune 500 compan ies as well as startups. As Vice President of Operations, Wagers will manage all areas of customer support, including the development of a Business Services operation dedicated to the delivery of worldclass analytical tools for Routeware’s customers. Visit www.routeware.com
Dave Wagers
New Routeware VP of Operations
Routeware, Inc., a leader in groundbreaking hardware and software solutions for the waste industry, has announced that Dave Wagers has joined the Company as Vice President of Operations. Wagers brings more than 35 years of experience in both management and operations, making him an ideal addition to
Shelagh Kerr
New President for EPS Canada
HMI
Management Solutions
2460 Concession 6, Greenwood, ON L0H 1H0 Tel: 416-388-1133 email: bobmarshall@rogers.com
⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒
CONSULTANT Operations Strategic Planning Procurement Project Management
⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒
RFP & Bid Evaluations Cost Control Maintenance Programs Design & Layout
Helping Manage Industry 40 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
The Board of Directors of Electronics Product Stewardship Canada (EPSC) is pleased to an nounce the appointment of Shelagh Kerr to the position of EPSC President and CEO. EPSC is a notforprofit organization and the lead ing product stewardship voice for information technology and consumer electronics compan ies. Kerr brings to the position extensive ex perience in association management, gov ernment and public affairs and environ mental stewardship. Kerr has a BSc from the University of Ottawa and has lived and worked across Canada and internationally in Europe and Africa. She now resides in Toronto. As Vice President, Corporate and Environmental Affairs for CocaCola in the 1990s, Kerr sat on the Boards of recycling organizations in New Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta as well as the federal Environmental Choice Program. More recently she has worked in Europe for CocaCola and then the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). EPSC would like to thank out going Interim President, Ralph McMillen of HewlettPackard for his leadership and wel come Shelagh to her new position. She can be reached at: shelagh@epsc.ca Visit www.epsc.ca
NEWS Two-stream recycling superior: study
The Container Recycling Institute has undertaken a study of the impacts of single-stream collection of residential recyclables, with a particular focus on the economic and environmental impacts of this collection method on the final material sent to end-markets for remanufacturing. To date, the impacts on various collection methods — source-separated curbside, commingled curbside, deposit/return — on the quality of materials destined for recycling have not been formally researched and documented. In fact, rarely is “material quality” or the “end-destination” of the material considered by government decision-makers when choosing an appropriate recycling system. CRI selected Clarissa Morawski, principal of CM Consulting and a contributing editor to this magazine, to research the issue. Morawski is a leading expert on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and has authored numerous reports on beverage container recovery systems. For this study, Ms. Morawski reviewed 60 previously-published studies, reports and articles in trade magazines. Morawski was interested to find that, as a result of the struggling economy and plunging market prices for recyclables, she is seeing increased market sensitivity to quality issues.
THE
ative downstream impacts of contaminated feedstock due to the mixing of materials through single-stream curbside collection. “Basically, the report confirms that you can’t unscramble an egg,” explains CRI Executive Director Susan Collins. “Once the materials are mixed together in a single-stream recycling system, there will be cross-contamination of materials and significant glass breakage. Those cross-contamination and breakage issues then result in increased costs for the secondary processors.” This report attempts to quantify those costs, but the study acknowledges that there is a need for more comprehensive data. “Nor are costs calculated on an apples-toapples basis, because the tons that are handled through various recycling systems are not necessarily the same as the tons recycled” Study author Clarissa Morawski Collins observes. “If you take the contaminants out of the equation, the cost per tonne “End markets are really starting to quanrecycled increases. With such high contamtify their economic losses from poor quality of inant levels, some of these recycling systems material, and from a qualitative perspective, are merely shifting costs to the paper mills, they feel this problem is very serious indeed aluminum manufacturers, glass beneficiation and could have an impact on any future investfacilities and glass manufacturers, and plastics ments of capital to increase capacity of secrecyclers.” ondary feedstock,” Morawski says. The report is available for download on the The report finds that there10:28 are many Project1 11/13/06 AM negPage CRI 1 website, www.container-recycling.org
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February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 41
COLLECTION
by Dana Kirkwood “Loads don’t need to be flagged, as both bins are carried high enough that rear lights are visible at all times.”
It “Can Deliver”
Innovative front load bin delivery system
T
he Can-Deliver II is an innovative front load bin delivery system The patent-pending design of the Can-Deliver II carries the weight by Can-Pack Inc. that revolutionizes waste container delivery. The of the container over the rear axle of the truck, enabling the system to system has two sets of forks that enable users to safely load, transbe mounted onto smaller vehicles. It requires a class 5 chassis and can port, unload and even empty two front load containers, without leaving be mounted onto the Peterbilt 325, Ford 550, and Dodge 5500 or any the truck. The Can-Deliver II is controlled completely from within the similar category chassis. Operators are ensured a safe delivery without Pub−2009−E.jpg cab by a user-friendly electronic joystick. This versatile system has a the hassle of flagging their loads as both bins are carried high enough built in rotator. that rear lights are kept visible at all times.
42 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
COLLECTION
The loads are positioned in such a way onboard, they do not impede the vehicles rear lights.
three different variations. Then it progressed to of equipment can reduce the demands on staff, a double fork system, which gave him a huge reduce mileage, and increase efficiency. increase in productivity. The top set of forks 2/9/10 1:27 PM Page 1 rotate, making itCurotto-Can/AB/SWR not only a delivery truck but Dana Kirkwood is Sales & Marketing a system usable in all aspects of waste hauling. Manager for Can-Pack Inc. in Grande After much hard work he succeeded in bringing Prairie, Alberta. Contact Dana at inland2009@live.ca this system to the marketplace. This one piece
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The Curotto-Can is the future of automation. The Curotto-Can was developed in the early 1990's by a third generation hauler in Sonoma, California. The current design is the result of a complete re-engineering, significantly improving durability while simultaneously reducing unnecessary weight. The Curotto-Can replaces traditional "arm-behind-the-cab" technology Benefits include the fastest arm cycle-time of any system and eyes-forward pickup - this allows material to be previewed before packing which lowers contamination rates. In addition, one front loader can be used for both residential and commercial routes, thus reducing fleet size and lowering maintenance costs.
For more information call:
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SOLID WASTE & RECYCLING
The system is available with a wide variety of optional features to help meet specific needs and ensure visual consistency with any existing fleet. Whether you’re an established waste company looking to improve operations, or a new company looking for an economical way to start out, the Can-Deliver II will give you the technology you need to optimize staff time and meet demands. Five years ago, Brian Weeks invented, developed and built this system within his own business. Weeks has been in the waste indusBaycon-HMM 12/1/08 3:12 PM Page 1 try for 32 years and saw a need in the market for this type of product. He used the product within his own business starting with a single fork truck, which he improved over time with
SOLID WASTE & RECYCLING SOLID WASTE & RECYCLING February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 43
PRODUCTS rooms and classrooms are all equipped with the computer networking and projection technology required for today’s interactive instruction methods. The training section occupies two levels, including an upper area that overlooks a large machine bay. This bay allows trainers to bring any Sennebogen machine indoors, up to the 200,000 lb. 870 model material handler. Visit www.sennebogen-na.com
Sennebogen headquarters. parts and training centre
Sennebogen LLC has opened its previously announced American headquarters with a new parts and training facility in Stanley, North Carolina and committed to serving the North American marketplace from this central location. Sennebogen, a family-owned business founded in 1952 in Straubing, Germany, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialized material handling machines used in scrap, recycling, ports, logging and forestry and many other industries. The 54,000 sq. ft. facility has six bays for shipping and receiving and occupies a secure 32-acre site in Lincoln County, about 20 minutes from the City of Charlotte. The rear area of the facility is a wholly self-contained training center, complete with a separate entrance and its own kitchen. Meeting
Grounding ring protects bearings in severe-duty motors
The new AEGIS™ 841 SGR Bearing Isolator Shaft Grounding Ring protects severe-duty motor bearings from harmful VFD-induced shaft currents with a proven shaft grounding ring and from contaminants with an IP56 noncontact seal. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 841-2001 calls for protection against bearing damage by VFD-induced currents in addition to bearing seals. The AEGIS™ 841 SGR is ideally suited for IEEE 841 motors controlled by variable frequency drives (VFDs) in severe-duty processing applications. Traditional bearing seals provide only half the protection needed by VFD-controlled IEEE 841 and other severe-duty motors. Designed for long-term total bearing protection, the
AEGIS™ 841 SGR combines a proven shaft grounding ring (in which conductive microfibers completely surround the motor shaft) and a non-contact IP56 bearing isolator that withstands dust and powerful jetting water (providing even greater protection against contaminants than is required by IEEE Standard 841). The shaft grounding ring has been proven in hundreds of thousands of installations worldwide to protect bearings from harmful currents and extend motor life. By diverting VFDinduced shaft currents around bearings safely to ground, the ring protects them from electrical damage known as “bearing fluting” that can lead to noise and vibration and result in motor failure. The unit’s bearing isolator features a patent-pending Anti-Clog™ slinger drain system to prevent dirt and debris from plugging up the drain and compromising performance. The slinger’s unique design chops and ejects foreign matter, keeping the drain running free. Visit www.est-aegis.com
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44 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
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Advertisers’ Index
February/March 2010
Company Page # Company Page # AMRC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mercer .Motor .Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Battery .Broker .Environmental .Services .Inc ., .The . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Miller .Thomson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Baycon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Molok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Borden .Ladner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Paradigm .Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Canadian .Waste .& .Recycling .Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Curotto-Can . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Chevy .Lane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 EMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Environmental .Business .Consultants .(J . .Nicholson) . . . . . . . . . . 41 Eriez .Magnetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Groundworx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 HMI .Mgmt .Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Paul .Van .der .Werf .(2CG) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Rechargeable .Battery .Recycling .Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Rehrig .Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Schuyler .Rubber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sebright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Stewardship .Ontario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Trux .Route .Management .Systems .Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Lafleche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Van .Dyk .Balers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Laurin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 .
Walinga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Liebherr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Walker .Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Walinga VC2336 Mack Truck . . . . . . . .6/11/07 . . . . . . . . .2:36 . . . . .PM . . . . Page . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . . 48
Waste Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
N O W
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Recycler
www.walinga.com R e c y c l i n g a n d re n d e r i n g a ro u n d t h e w o r l d !
Head office: R.R. #5 Guelph ON Canada N1H 6J2 Tel (519) 824-8520 Fax (519) 824-5651
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February/March 2010 www.solidwastemag.com 45
BLOG
by Stephanie McLarty “The Canadian TC111 committee has monthly conference calls and meets once a year.”
TC111
Environmental Standards for Waste Electronics
T
hough most people don’t realize it, standards shape our world each and every day. Standards play a central role in ensuring safety, efficiency, performance, and environmental well-being while encouraging trade at the same time. Whatever industry you’re in, it’s crucial to know the standards that affect you to stay on top of developments and meet your own stakeholders’ expectations. This is especially true in the realm of electronics and its waste management. Unless referenced in legislation, standards are voluntary measures that encourage best practices. In Canada, these standards are coordinated by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). The SCC also represents Canada’s international interest on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Similarly, the SCC facilitates the Canadian National Committee of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which specifically handles standards relating to electronics. The IEC also organizes the conformity assessment systems that ensure that products meet the standards. With 179 technical committees and approximately 700 project teams, the IEC covers a wide range of issues concerning electronics, from safety to renewable energy. Representatives from countries around the world participate on these teams. An area of growing interest is the potential environmental impact of electronics and what can be done to reduce it. How can we design electronics to be more eco-friendly? How do we encourage them to be energy efficient? How do we ensure that recyclers have the necessary information to recycle electronics effectively? The IEC has therefore established a technical committee, TC111, to address these issues. Canada is actively involved in this group, which works on “Environmental Standardization for Electrical and Electronic Products and Systems.” Since its inception, TC111 has already published three standards: IEC 62631:2008: Electrotechnical products — Determination of levels of six regulated substances (lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers). This international standard specifies the determination of levels of lead, mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium in inorganic and organic compounds. Polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl — two types of brominated flame retardants in electrotechnical products — are also discussed. IEC 62430:2009: Environmentally conscious design for electrical and electronic products. This standard addresses requirements and procedures to integrate environmental aspects into the lifecycle of electrical and electronic products.
46 www.solidwastemag.com February/March 2010
IEC/PAS 62596:2009: Electrotechnical products — Determination of restricted substances — Sampling procedure — Guidelines. This specification provides sampling guidelines and strategies for electrotechnical products as well as electronic assemblies and components. This document could be used for any restricted substance. Besides the already published standards, there are five areas where standards are currently being developed: • Material declaration for electrical and electronic equipment — PT 62474 • Guidance for assessing compliance of finished goods with respect to restriction of use of hazardous substances — PT 62476 • Standardization of environmental aspects — glossary of terms — PT 62542 • End of life recyclability calculation for electrotechnical equipment — PT 62635 • Communication formats on recycling for electrotechnical equipment between manufacturers and recyclers — PT 62650 These are issues where the international community has shown a need and an interest for standardization. Project teams with experts from around the globe are now working to develop the standards. As our economy continues to evolve, as well as our industries, new concerns and areas for standardization arise. The topic of greenhouse gases has been identified for possible future work, with a group set up to consider the issue within the IEC framework. Ultimately, the goal of standardization bodies is to get full representation from potential stakeholders. If these standards will affect you, there are opportunities to get involved. The Canadian TC111 committee has monthly conference calls and meets once a year. However, the meeting is not a fixed time or location. The last general IEC meeting, where committee members also had face-to-face meetings in each of the working groups, was in Tel Aviv, Israel, in October 2009. The next general meeting is in Seattle, Washington in October 2010. For more information, visit the Standards Council of Canada website at www.scc.ca and the International Electrotechnical Commission website at www.iec.ch Stephanie McLarty is Chief Catalyst, Clients Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility, at CTAR Corp in Toronto, Ontario. Stephanie is a Technical Expert on the Canadian TC111 committee and, along with fellow CTAR Co-founder Tina Gokstorp, was a Finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 awards. Contact Stephanie at stephanie@ctarcorp.com
The largest event in North America serving the $55 billion solid waste and recycling industry.
The center of it all.
Conference: May 3-5, 2010 Exhibits: May 4-6, 2010 • Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA
Only at WasteExpo, the largest solid waste and recycling show in North America, can you see 500+ exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services, network with peers and colleagues, and learn from leaders of the industry about the subjects that matter most to boost your bottom line. Don’t miss your once-a-year chance to be at the center of it all! Register or learn more at www.wasteexpo.com Interested in Exhibiting?
Companies A-Eo, contact Debra Busby at debra.busby@penton.com or call 203-358-4153 Companies Ep-Md, contact Denise LaFlamme at denise.laflamme@penton.com or call 530-823-1125 Companies Me-Z, contact Marc Acampora at marc.acampora@penton.com or call 203-358-4384
Free Exhibit Hall! Use Code VP7
Conference: June 8-10, 2010 Exhibits:www.wasteexpo.com June 9-11, 2010 Las Vegas Convention Center, South Halls, Las Vegas, NV Collection • Transfer • Landfill Management • Recycling • Processing • Green Management Composting • Truck Components • Safety • Technology Co-located with:
May 4-5, 2010 www.wastetraininginstitute.com In Association with:
www.landfillconference.com
May 5-6, 2010 www.medwasteconference.com Global Waste Management Symposium
Fall 2010 www.wastesymposium.com
May 3-4, 2010 www.fluidpowerexpo.com Sponsors:
Environmentalists. Every Day. Americas’ Solid Waste Industry is a service mark of the Environmental Industry Associations.
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