No Landfill Waste Solutions

The No Landfill Disposal Facility NLDF Project is rooted in the requirements to substantially reduce the risks and costs associated with legacy wastes. The Project will enable the site revitalization through improved environmental management and the decommissioning of outdated infrastructure such as Landfills. 

The need to increase sustainable sources of renewable energy and reduce GHG emissions, along with raising environmental consciousness to protect the environment from polluting and using unsustainable practices such as a landfill, this Project will have a positive impact not only to the Municipality but also to all the residents in Canada and beyond.

Solid waste is the number one contributor of landfill waste disposal. Homes, schools, restaurants, public places, markets, offices and so on produce a great deal of rubbish, garbage and used materials. The bulk of these wastes eventually end up in the landfills. Examples of the solid waste materials include wood, paper, plastic, broken furniture, glass, grounded cars, obsolete electronic products and medical waste.

There are more than ten toxic gases emitted from landfills, of which methane gas is the most serious. Methane gas is naturally produced during the process of organic matter decay. On this account, EPA records that the methane expelled during the decomposition of organic matter in unmanaged landfills has the potential of trapping solar radiation 20 times more effective than carbon dioxide.

The objective of waste treatment is to ensure that the waste has been removed, and the land fill process is eliminated, contained or treated to protect human health and the environment, and to assist in restoring the land to its original state. Returning land to its original state can support various land uses, similar to ‐ but not necessarily identical to ‐ the ability that existed prior to an activity being conducted. It is important to distinguish the conceptual difference between restoration and remediation.

One main strategy that is used to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills is converting municipal waste to refuse derived fuel. In this strategy, solid waste is processed such that it can be used to produce electricity. In the waste-to-energy plants, waste is burned as coal would be in a coal-powered electricity plant. Then the heat is used to heat water into steam, which turns turbines that generate electricity. Using waste-to-energy plants hits two environmental conservation goals at once. Not only does it decrease the amount of waste that goes into landfills, but also it reduces the amount of coal that is used for electricity generation. However, the collection of municipal waste is expensive, and transportation uses fuel that causes emissions.