Durham Region’s long-term waste plan

Durhamregion.com
June 1, 2020

For the past 20 years, Durham’s waste management priorities have been guided by the 2000-2020 Long-Term Waste Management Strategy Plan approved by Regional Council in 1999. The strategy included goals such as diverting 50 per cent of Durham’s waste from disposal by implementing a comprehensive waste management system that included food waste organics; finding an alternate disposal location for the Region’s garbage when the Keele Valley Landfill closed; and investigating an Energy-from-Waste type facility for waste disposal.

Fast-forward 20 years, and the Region has met all the goals of the original waste management strategy. In 2019, Durham’s waste diversion rate was 63 per cent -- well over the 50 per cent goal set in 1999. Regional Council reset the goal in 2008 to a 70 per cent diversion rate, which the Region is now working to meet.

The Region assumed waste management services from the City of Pickering, the Town of Ajax, the Municipality of Clarington, and the Townships of Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock while partnering with the City of Oshawa and Town of Whitby to ensure that all the residents in Durham receive uniform collection programs. We launched the curbside green bin program to collect source-separated food and organic materials, expanded the list of acceptable materials in the blue box program, and introduced curbside recycling programs for electronics, porcelain and batteries.

After the Keele Valley Landfill closed in 2002, garbage was shipped to landfills located in Michigan and New York State for several years until the Durham York Energy Centre (DYEC) was approved, constructed and became operational in 2016. We now have a stable, made-in-Durham, long-term disposal solution that turns residual garbage into a resource and generates enough electricity to power 10,000 households every year.

Recently, Durham Region Council approved a Mixed Waste Pre-sort and Anaerobic Digestion (AD) facility as the preferred method to manage the Region’s organic waste for the future. AD has environmental benefits that contribute to Durham’s climate change mitigation initiatives. The new facility will be a first of its kind in North America -- highlighting our leadership here in Durham Region. The facility will process residential garbage and organics from within Durham.

Anaerobic digestion is a process where bacteria breaks down food scraps, to create energy as a renewable natural gas, turning waste into a resource. The Mixed Waste Pre-sort and AD facility is an example of a made-in-Durham solution that meets the Region’s waste management needs and creates energy in the process. You can learn more about this project in Durham Region at durham.ca/ADProject.

As the Region moves beyond the timeframe of the previous long-term waste management plan, there is a need to establish goals and objectives for the next 20 years. Last year, Regional Council directed staff to begin work on a Plan to cover 2021 to 2040. This Plan will focus on maximizing the diversion of waste from disposal. We will do this by developing other innovative ways to use waste as a resource in a circular economy while demonstrating leadership in sustainability and addressing the climate crisis. Examples of other innovative ways to use waste as a resource could include reducing single-use plastics and reuse options for ash generated at the DYEC.

Work on the new 2021-2040 Long-Term Waste Management Plan has started with consultation planned for later this summer to get input from the local area municipalities, our residents and other stakeholders. While our plans for in-person consultations have been put on hold during this time of physical distancing, we are developing ways to engage with residents in an online forum. Stay tuned for opportunities to provide your opinion. For more information, visit durham.ca/WastePlan.