SLRD Compost Feasibility Study

Presentation Outline Background on SLRD Existing organics waste management Study focus Study findings Conclusion

Background on SLRD Over 16,000 km Four electoral areas Four member municipalities Estimated population of 54,500 Projection of 68,000 by

Existing Organics Waste Management District of Squamish o Curbside yard waste collection o Squamish Landfill – accepts leaf and yard waste, food scraps o Squamish Recycling Centre – accepts food scraps o Squamish Depots – accept leaf and yard waste

Existing Organics Waste Management Regional Municipality of Whistler o Whistler Composting Facility – accepts processed biosolids, food scraps and wood fibre o Whistler Transfer Station – accepts leaf and yard waste o Whistler Depots – accept food scraps o Private commercial food scrap collection

Existing Organics Waste Management District of Lillooet o Lillooet Landfill - accepts all leaf and yard waste from the northern region Village of Pemberton o Sea-to-Sky Soils – in the process of being established at the time of the study

Study Focus 1.Estimation of organic materials 2.Collection and transportation costs of organic waste 3.Composting organic waste 4.Organics collection and processing design/model options

Completion of targeted waste audits Included waste from each of the four electoral Areas: o Residential (curbside and drop-off depots) o Commercial loads Results: o Represented 46% of residential waste o Represented 42% of commercial waste Calculation of estimated organic materials o Used 2011 tonnage data to estimate organic materials from all of the regions Estimation of Organic Materials: Food Scraps

Leaf and Yard Waste: o Used the data from: Waste audits Annual tonnage disposal information Biosolids o Assumed that WCF continue to process biosolids o Assumed that if proposed optimization measure for WCF would be implemented a quantity of the biosolids would be partially replaced by unprocessed quantity of food waste Estimation of Organic Materials: Leaf and Yard Waste and Biosolids

Squamish AreaWhistler AreaLillooet Area Estimated Total Estimated Recoverable Estimated Total Estimated Recoverable Estimated Total Estimated Recoverable tonnes% % % Leaf & Yard Food & Non-Food Biosolids285** Total715654% % %680 Estimation of Recoverable Material Quantities

Collection and Transportation Collection Costs o Collection in Squamish for $130.29/tonne Transportation Costs o Factored location, travel time, average speed o Estimated transportation cost per tonne Estimated Transportation Cost Per Tonne To Squamish Landfill To Whistler/ Pemberton Area Lillooet$69$55 Squamish$7$20 Whistler$19$16

Composting Organic Waste Basic groups: Evolution from leaf & yard waste to food waste Food Waste Leaf and Yard Waste Biosolids

Composting Organic Waste 3 essential elements of composting o Feedstock o Air o Water Common challenges in controlling them (regardless of size, location) O 2 CO 2

Composting Organic Waste Composting challenges in rural regions: o Sources of organics widely distributed o Lower tax base o Lack of feedstock balance o Vector control

Composting Organic Waste Favourable features of rural regions: o Higher supply of browns? o Lower concentration of “Receptors” o More tolerant communities? o More available space, wait it out

Composting Organic Waste The essentials of rural composting: o Keep it simple o Browns in excess o Moisture control

Collection and Processing Design/Model Options

Whistler Operations

Whistler Tonnages & Recipe Feedstock 2009 Tonnage 2010 Tonnage 2011 Tonnage (CRA, 2012) Processed Food Waste Processed Biosolids Wood Fibre Used Total Processed

Whistler Process Performance

Design/Model Options LillooetWhistlerSquamishCentralized Facility Feedstock (t/yr) Total Feedstock (t/yr) ,482 Annualized Capital Cost (k$) Annual Operating Costs (k$) $/tonne

Conclusions Composting SSO in rural locations is technically feasible but economically challenging Composting SSO in rural locations may compete economically with alternative disposal practices only if full-cost accounting of the alternatives is considered Composting SSO in rural locations must be simple, and be incorporated as much as possible into existing operations to be cost-effective One size won’t fit all

Contact Information Alida Kusch, Environmental Scientist Dillon Consulting Limited Paul Arnold, P.Eng. Bio-Logic Environmental Systems