Feasibility Study for a Composting Platform for the RMC of Abitibi

The Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) of Abitibi — with a small population spread out over a large area — conducted a feasibility study to determine the sustainability of a composting platform. As one of the goals set out in its 2005–2008 Residual Matter Management Plan, a composting platform would allow the MRC to divert by 60 per cent the amount of residual matter it sent to landfill sites each year. The project team responsible for the feasibility study aimed to determine what infrastructure, equipment and personnel would be required to build and manage the platform and process 5,000 tons of organic matter yearly. The team also needed to decide if the best approach for the MRC would be the open windrow technology, an option often chosen for its low cost and simplicity, based on potential space available. The study was expected to show how the MRC could find a local source for the brown matter required for operating the platform, what amount of compost would be produced and how it could be used. Construction of the platform would result in an annual reduction of 3.7 tons of greenhouse gas generated by landfill disposal of organic matter, as well as reduced production of toxic leachate. The latter would reduce the risk of contaminating underground water, a vital resource in the area. Results of the feasibility study were to be transmitted to the 17 municipalities within the MRC so they could decide what steps to take next.