Mixed Waste Pre-sort and Anaerobic Digestion Facility

• Durham takes next step toward Anaerobic Digestion Facility (May 28, 2020)
• Anaerobic Digestion facility siting report now available online: recommends south Clarington site (March 9, 2020)
• UPDATE: Region unveils list of potential sites and invites residents to learn about the new Anaerobic Digestion and Waste Pre-sort facility (February 21, 2020)
• Region invites residents to learn about potential sites for new Anaerobic Digestion and Waste Pre-sort facility (February 13, 2020)
• Durham Region is working to address climate changes (December 3, 2019)

Comment period has closed. Questions? Contact us by email.

• Mixed Waste Pre-sort and Anaerobic Digestion Facility (Draft Siting Report)
• Figures 
• Tables
• Appendices 

Comment period has closed. Questions? Contact us. 

• Mixed Waste Pre-sort and Anaerobic Digestion Facility (Display Boards)

In addition to diverting organics that are sorted from the waste stream, other benefits include:

• Produces a methane bio-fuel, which can be combusted to generate electricity and heat or can be processed into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels.
• Generation of a 'digestate' product that can be turned into a nutrient-rich compost or fertilizer product.
• Removes recyclables that end up in waste.
• Reducing the amount of waste sent to the DYEC.
• Promotes circular economy of waste.
• Serves as an international model for other municipalities.
• There are no stack emissions or combustion involved in the anaerobic digestion process. The building will be under negative air pressure and air from the facility must go through biofilters prior to release. There will be disposal of some residues.
• It is anticipated that there will be two additional trucks added to the daily total, resulting in minimal impacts to traffic, as trucks will already be on route to the DYEC.

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a method of processing organic waste to create energy.

Dinner with the family

Enjoying a meal, but don't have enough room for that last spoonful?

Food scraps

Dispose of food scraps or other compostable items in the green bin.

Waste processing

Green bin materials are processed in closed, air-tight containers where bacteria breaks down organics and creates methane gas.

Renewable energy

Methane gas is refined and used as a renewable natural gas, which can be used anywhere natural gas is used.

Mixed Waste Pre-sorting

The facility will remove materials—such as food scraps and recyclables—from garbage collected at the curb and from multi-residential buildings. In conjunction with our blue box and green bin programs, this will help us increase diversion rates.

Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic digestion is a process where organics are broken down (degraded) by microbial bacteria in the absence of oxygen under controlled conditions. This process produces biogas, compost liquid wastes and solid residue. The digestion of organics takes place in a special reactor (or enclosed chamber) where critical environmental conditions such as moisture content, temperature and pH levels are controlled to maximize biogas generation and organic decomposition rates. 

The new facility will be located in Clarington, next to the DYEC in the Energy Park. This location will incorporate sustainable development principles and complement the architectural design and landscaping of the Energy Park. Traffic into the DYEC will only increase by two waste delivery trucks once the new facility is operational.

The siting report details the methodology used and the factors considered to assess each site, including environmental and developmental impacts, as well as total cost. Six potential candidate sites were evaluated to identify the most suitable location for this facility:

• West Scugog – #10 Regional Road No. 21, Scugog
• East Scugog – 1623 Reach Street, Port Perry
• North Clarington – 9293 Woodley Road, Clarington
• South Clarington – 339 Courtice Road, Clarington
• Oshawa – 1640 Ritson Road
• Whitby – 4600 Garrard Road

Waste will only be accepted from Durham Region, including waste collected from the Region's curbside waste collection program and from multi-residential buildings.

The facility will sort organics and recyclables from garbage bags (i.e. items that were not properly separated into the green bin or the blue box). This process will not replace or eliminate the current green bin or blue box program, but will help the Region to maximize diversion efforts.

The new facility and introduction of AD will have minimal environmental impacts and significant benefits that contribute to the Region’s climate change mitigation initiatives. Due to a negative pressure facility and the use of bio-filters to remove odour-causing components, the proposed process will be odour and emission free.

Through this process, the Region of Durham will reduce the amount of waste processed at the DYEC, while creating a valuable renewable natural gas that can offset the use of fossil fuels. By converting local waste into a valuable resource, AD can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate local economic benefits.