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The head of Orgaworld Canada says he’s always looking for new ways to strip more plastic out of the organic waste stream that arrives at his company’s processing plants as the City of Ottawa prepares to allow plastic bags in the green bin program.
“We’re just trying to stay out front of what the technology is,” general manager Michael Leopold said in an interview Monday. “A month doesn’t go by that I don’t look at some different technology of how you can pull that stuff out. Everybody’s got an idea (but it) doesn’t mean it works.”
The Orgaworld plant in rural south Ottawa will see a massive increase in plastics in mid-2019 when it starts accepting tonnes of residential organic waste in plastic bags. Allowing plastic bags is one of the results of negotiations between Orgaworld and the city on a revised green bin contract.
The plant produces agricultural compost from residential organic waste.
Microplastics are a growing environmental concern, especially when it comes to the plastics entering the waterways. Meanwhile, the City of Ottawa next year will encourage people to use plastic bags as part of the organics program, something councillors like Tobi Nussbaum have flagged as being counterproductive to environmental initiatives.
Leopold said he reached out to the city after he became general manager last June in an attempt to get a “fresh start” on their relationship. Learning that the city wants to increase residents’ participation in the green bin program, the two sides started discussing a plan to resolve legal disputes and get more people recycling organics.
The city and Orgaworld drafted a settlement framework last fall and council approved the details last month with a 19-3 vote. The two sides are hammering out the final revised contract.
The settlement will allow Ottawa residents to fill plastic bags with organic waste and pitch them into their green bins. The contract changes will also allow people to put dog feces into their green bins.
Orgaworld will spend $9.4 million on plant upgrades as part of the settlement to handle the processing change, although Leopold said the company will invest additional funds as part of its own enhancement plans for the facility.
There are plastics in the current compost that Orgaworld produces. During the political approval process at city hall, staff said the compost produced at the Orgaworld plant isn’t top-grade.
Farmers know the quality of the compost better than anyone.
Martin Fetz, who farms cash crops in Quyon, Que, likes to use the compost produced by the Orgaworld facility. He has found bits of plastic on his land, even parts of writing pens and other hard plastics, which goes to show how confused Ottawa residents are about what’s allowed in the green bin.
Fetz said he hopes the upgrades at the Orgaworld facility to remove plastics will improve the quality of the compost.
“I’m hoping that it might be better than it was before,” Fetz said.
The City of Ottawa also uses Orgaworld compost. Under the revised contract, the city will receive a minimum of 2,000 tonnes of compost annually.
Leopold explained how plastics will be removed from the organic waste stream when the facility upgrades are complete.
When plastic bags of organic waste are dumped at the facility, they will go through a shredder, tearing the plastic into long strips. Leopold said the plastics help add “structure” to the waste, allowing air through to advance the composting process. After the material sits in the composting tunnels for 14 days, the material goes through a screening line where any plastic over 100 millimetres will be pulled out and sent to the dump. Plastics between 10 millimetres and 100 millimetres are mixed back in the composting process. The compost is then separated and made available for the market.
Leopold said plastics smaller than 10 millimetres are hard to screen out.
Orgaworld is talking with the city about diverting the torn-up plastic bags to cement companies to use as an alternative fuel, rather than sending them to the landfill, Leopold said.
Leopold doesn’t expect dog feces to impact the quality of the Orgaworld compost since it will be a small amount in the volume of organic material.
The Orgaworld plant in Ottawa still won’t accept diapers, even though it has provincial approval to take them.
Leopold said he’s pleased that the city doesn’t want to send diapers to the Ottawa plant. The Orgaworld facility in London, Ont. takes organic waste from the Toronto area, including diapers. Leopold said diapers don’t break down well, so they end up going to the landfill anyway.
Orgaworld and the city seem to be back on good terms after several years embroiled in legal fights.
“I don’t want to have an adversarial relationship with any of my customers,” Leopold said.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
“We’re just trying to stay out front of what the technology is,” general manager Michael Leopold said in an interview Monday. “A month doesn’t go by that I don’t look at some different technology of how you can pull that stuff out. Everybody’s got an idea (but it) doesn’t mean it works.”
The Orgaworld plant in rural south Ottawa will see a massive increase in plastics in mid-2019 when it starts accepting tonnes of residential organic waste in plastic bags. Allowing plastic bags is one of the results of negotiations between Orgaworld and the city on a revised green bin contract.
The plant produces agricultural compost from residential organic waste.
Microplastics are a growing environmental concern, especially when it comes to the plastics entering the waterways. Meanwhile, the City of Ottawa next year will encourage people to use plastic bags as part of the organics program, something councillors like Tobi Nussbaum have flagged as being counterproductive to environmental initiatives.
Leopold said he reached out to the city after he became general manager last June in an attempt to get a “fresh start” on their relationship. Learning that the city wants to increase residents’ participation in the green bin program, the two sides started discussing a plan to resolve legal disputes and get more people recycling organics.
The city and Orgaworld drafted a settlement framework last fall and council approved the details last month with a 19-3 vote. The two sides are hammering out the final revised contract.
The settlement will allow Ottawa residents to fill plastic bags with organic waste and pitch them into their green bins. The contract changes will also allow people to put dog feces into their green bins.
Orgaworld will spend $9.4 million on plant upgrades as part of the settlement to handle the processing change, although Leopold said the company will invest additional funds as part of its own enhancement plans for the facility.
There are plastics in the current compost that Orgaworld produces. During the political approval process at city hall, staff said the compost produced at the Orgaworld plant isn’t top-grade.
Farmers know the quality of the compost better than anyone.
Martin Fetz, who farms cash crops in Quyon, Que, likes to use the compost produced by the Orgaworld facility. He has found bits of plastic on his land, even parts of writing pens and other hard plastics, which goes to show how confused Ottawa residents are about what’s allowed in the green bin.
Fetz said he hopes the upgrades at the Orgaworld facility to remove plastics will improve the quality of the compost.
“I’m hoping that it might be better than it was before,” Fetz said.
The City of Ottawa also uses Orgaworld compost. Under the revised contract, the city will receive a minimum of 2,000 tonnes of compost annually.
Leopold explained how plastics will be removed from the organic waste stream when the facility upgrades are complete.
When plastic bags of organic waste are dumped at the facility, they will go through a shredder, tearing the plastic into long strips. Leopold said the plastics help add “structure” to the waste, allowing air through to advance the composting process. After the material sits in the composting tunnels for 14 days, the material goes through a screening line where any plastic over 100 millimetres will be pulled out and sent to the dump. Plastics between 10 millimetres and 100 millimetres are mixed back in the composting process. The compost is then separated and made available for the market.
Leopold said plastics smaller than 10 millimetres are hard to screen out.
Orgaworld is talking with the city about diverting the torn-up plastic bags to cement companies to use as an alternative fuel, rather than sending them to the landfill, Leopold said.
Leopold doesn’t expect dog feces to impact the quality of the Orgaworld compost since it will be a small amount in the volume of organic material.
The Orgaworld plant in Ottawa still won’t accept diapers, even though it has provincial approval to take them.
Leopold said he’s pleased that the city doesn’t want to send diapers to the Ottawa plant. The Orgaworld facility in London, Ont. takes organic waste from the Toronto area, including diapers. Leopold said diapers don’t break down well, so they end up going to the landfill anyway.
Orgaworld and the city seem to be back on good terms after several years embroiled in legal fights.
“I don’t want to have an adversarial relationship with any of my customers,” Leopold said.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
