Mechanical Biological Treatment Demonstration Pilot Project for Composting Organic Material found in Municipal Household Waste

The Bécancour-Nicolet-Yamaska Intermunicipal Integrated Waste Management Board (RGIDBNY), the L’Érable, Bellechasse and L’Islet regional county municipalities (RCMs), located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, have joined forces to test the feasibility of recovering organic material directly from household waste using a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) chain. This project is being carried out in partnership with the Centre de recherché industriel du Québec (CRIQ) and a private company. The project is aligned with Quebec’s Residual Materials Policy, the objective of which is to eliminate organic waste produced by the municipal sector by 2020. Putting a third collection system in place is costly for municipal organizations with a low density population spread out over a large area. Such a system would lead to a 20% increase in transportation costs and the need to manufacture a third bin. MBT therefore offers a promising alternative the group of municipalities would like to examine. The project is aligned with the zero landfill target set out in RIGIDBNY’s and the three RCMs’ residual materials management plans. A sample of the waste that will ultimately be collected by the participating municipalities, amounting to about 2,500 tonnes, will be sent to the treatment centre. The MBT chain will be used to extract organics and recyclables from the final waste. Recyclables will be sent to recyclers, while organics will be used to produce Grade B compost for use on agricultural land. The main environmental advantage of the pilot project will be the recovery of about 1,000 tonnes of recyclables and organics. The final objective of this technique in addition to municipal recycling is for the municipalities to achieve 60 to 70% recovery of all municipal residual materials. (Project description from original funding application)