GTA’s newest incinerator fires up in Clarington

One month of testing, now including burning of garbage, underway for facility.

Thestar.com
Feb. 15, 2015
By Noor Javed

The GTA’s newest incinerator has been fired up.

The Durham York Energy Centre in Clarington began burning its first haul of curbside garbage on Friday morning, as part of a month-long testing phase before the facility opens for good.

“We had what they call first fire today,” said Cliff Curtis, commissioner of works for Durham Region. “They are still in the testing phase, but it’s the first time they fired the plant with garbage,” he said. Since last November, it has been using natural gas to test the various systems, “and now we are switching over to garbage to make sure it works as well.”

The energy-from-waste plant, built by Covanta Energy Corporation, is the first to be built in the GTA in more than two decades, and will be able to process 140,000 tonnes of residual waste a year from Durham and York regions that would have otherwise gone to landfill.

According the region, the facility will generate between 17.5 gross megawatts of renewable energy - enough to power between 10,000 and 12,000 homes.

Over the past few years, the project has faced opposition from locals concerned about emissions and the cost to taxpayers. The final price tag is $286.56 million, according to the region.
Resident Kerry Meydam says there are ongoing concerns about the lack of continuous monitoring at the plant, and the type of material that will be burned.

“Because there will be no secondary sort and Durham has no clear bag program, we are concerned that recyclables and hazardous household waste will also be burned,” said Meydam, founder of Durham Environment Watch who also sits on the province’s energy-from-waste advisory committee.

She is also concerned that the presence of the incinerator will make residents feel less compelled to recycle.

Curtis says the early results show both emissions and the energy production have been better than expected due to the “high quality of the garbage,” which has had both recycled material and organics removed, leaving behind mostly plastic film or foam.

“It’s very combustible, and there is not a lot of that stuff that you don’t want,” said Curtis.

Over the next 30 days, the plant will remain in the testing phase. Curtis says they will then check the quality of the emissions and the ash bound for landfills, as well as ensure that the facility can process large amounts of garbage without any bottlenecks.

Once it’s ready “We cancel our contracts with our landfill and all of our waste goes to the incinerator,” which will run 24 hours a day, said Curtis.

The region will be posting continuous emissions monitoring data, including that from its test period on a large electronic board outside of the visitor’s centre and online at the facility’s website.

While the DYEC is the GTA’s first incinerator to open in more than 20 years, it won’t be its last. One in Brampton is slated to open in 2021.