Waste Services Temporarily Closes the Compost Facility

The City of Edmonton's Waste Services has temporarily closed the Edmonton Composting Facility (ECF).

An engineering assessment of the ECF identified structural issues with the building. As staff safety is the number one priority, Waste Services has temporarily shut down the composting facility while they explore short- and long-term solutions.

In the interim, wet waste will be redirected to the transfer floor. Waste Services is urgently working to find other options to best manage the organics fraction.

Visit edmonton.ca/waste

Global Off Limits: Inside the Municipal Composter

Did you know that Edmonton is home to the largest municipal composter in North America? Organic waste from our garbage is turned into a valuable soil ammendment. Egg shells, apple cores, chicken bones, and even paper napkins are full of nutrients that, through composting, are returned to the soil.

Recently, Michael Boyer of Global News went inside the Edmonton Compost Facility to give viewers a peek at what goes on inside:

Compost created by the City of Edmonton is used on public land, and is also packaged for sale as Second Nature Compost. It can be purchased at all Eco Stations, as well as several home and garden supply stores. See a list of vendors here.

Say good-bye to bad smells; WMS makes things right at the centre

This article was published in the Edmonton Examiner on May 16. It does a great job outlining actions taken to address odours from the EWMC.

Authour: Ed Gibbons, City Councillor, Ward 4 

Last summer I heard from a number of my constituents concerned about the smell coming from the Edmonton Waste Management Centre (EWMC). In response to these concerns, Waste Management Services has taken some immediate action while continuing to develop a long-term strategy to reduce and control odour emissions at the EWMC. Some of these initiatives include: 

• The Edmonton Composting Facility is fully enclosed and has a biofilter system to remove odours before they're released to the air. Door and window seals have been replaced and major improvements have been made to the aeration floors and biofilter system. 
• An odour misting system is in operation in key areas of the Integrated Processing and Transfer Facility and the Edmonton Composting Facility. This misting system sprays an organic compound that neutralizes the odours. 
• Several operations, including compost turning, are restricted when the potential for odours is high. 

Last fall, Waste Management Services also hired an odour expert to conduct a preliminary assessment of odour emissions and their control at the EWMC. The next step is a complete inventory of all odour sources, including the waste processing facilities and the bio-solids lagoons. The city's goal is to reduce the odours as much as possible. 

A community liaison committee has been created to share information with the community on the odour management activities.

As always you can contact me at (780) 496-8138 or ed.gibbons@edmonton.ca