Particle-size sorting of household waste – field test, MRC de la Haute-Côte-Nord

The MRC de la Haute-Côte-Nord will field test particle-size sorting of household waste with a view to maximizing recovery of the municipality’s waste by converting the waste into resources and generating local jobs. The MRC is made up of eight municipalities covering a total area of 12,509 km². The MRC does not have a landfill in its territory, which results in high transportation costs, not to mention the resulting air pollution. A study of alternate waste management scenarios, conducted by the MRC in 2011, and a characterization study in 2014 concluded that particle-size sorting of household waste was the most promising option for recovering organic and recyclable waste. The MRC plans to screen waste in order to recover nearly 2000 tonnes of additional materials, which will boost the MRC’s overall recovery rate from 24% to 55%. Field testing will be done in two phases. The first phase involves screening about 28 tonnes of waste from municipal collection and analyzing the 0 to 2-inch and 4-inch-plus fractions to assess the recovery potential. The second phase will check the quality of the compost produced in a laboratory, test outdoor composting with a larger amount of waste, specify the method for refining the compost, assess the quality of recovered recyclable materials in more detail, and analyze potential markets for the recovered materials. Analysis results will also include the carbon budget expected from large-scale rollout of the project. The field-test report will enable the MRC to determine the technical and financial feasibility of large-scale rollout, including start-up costs, recommended operating conditions and the expected environmental performance. The MRC will conduct the test in conjunction with the Régie Intermunicipale de Gestion Intégrée des Déchets Bécancour-Nicolet-Yamaska in order to share the results and improve knowledge. If the results are conclusive, Haute-Côte-Nord will make the mixed-waste sorting centre the focus of the MRC’s new residual materials management plan (PGMR, Plan de gestion des matières résiduelles) which is currently being updated. This project offers a waste management solution for other small municipalities in Canada that are dealing with similar challenges. (Project description from original funding application)