12
1 Wastes Generation, Characterization, Management Strategies …
Table 1.4 Existing large waste to energy conversion facilities in Canada. Regenerated with
permission from [7]
Facility/Location
Feedstock
Annual volume of
waste processed
(tonnes/year)
Type of energy
generated
Energy from waste
facility/Burnaby, BC
MSW, ICI,
non-hazardous,
non-recyclable residual
waste
285,000
Electricity
Wainwright/AB
MSW, ICI, biomedical
non-recyclable residual
waste
11,000
Steam
Peel Region/ON
MSW, non-hazardous,
non-recyclable residual
waste
180,000
Electricity
Ville de Quebec/QC
MSW, ICI, sludge,
non-hazardous,
non-recyclable residual
waste
300,000
Steam
Energy from waste
facility/PEI
MSW, non-hazardous,
non-recyclable and
sawmill residual waste
33,000
Steam
Strategy 3: Energy and materials recovery from waste
Waste to energy conversion refers to the generation of energy in the form of electricity, heat or steam from waste. The most common methods for waste to energy
conversion are thermal treatment (incineration with energy recovery, gasification,
de-polymerization and pyrolysis) and non-thermal treatment (anaerobic digestion).
Canada has five large waste-to-energy facilities operating that use mixed MSW as
the feedstock and convert them into heat or steam, as listed in Table 1.4.
Strategy 4: Waste disposal
The least preferable but by far the most common waste management strategy in
Canada is waste disposal by landfill and incineration. Landfill refers to the burial
of waste materials and is the oldest form of waste treatment. They are usually the
most cost-efficient way to dispose of the waste. However, there are some environmental and health concerns associated with landfill disposal such as contamination
of groundwater by landfill leachate and emission of methane—a GHG, as discussed
in the later sections. After recycling and recovering, the residual MSW is landfilled in
almost 2000 operating landfill sites across Canada [7]. Each province or territory has
specific guidelines and standards for landfill site design and operation of which some
include landfill bans for specific materials such as hazardous waste or the materials
that can be recycled through recycling programs [7].
Incineration is another option for waste disposal, which refers to the waste thermal
treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances of the waste
1 Wastes Generation, Characterization, Management Strategies …
Table 1.4 Existing large waste to energy conversion facilities in Canada. Regenerated with
permission from [7]
Facility/Location
Feedstock
Annual volume of
waste processed
(tonnes/year)
Type of energy
generated
Energy from waste
facility/Burnaby, BC
MSW, ICI,
non-hazardous,
non-recyclable residual
waste
285,000
Electricity
Wainwright/AB
MSW, ICI, biomedical
non-recyclable residual
waste
11,000
Steam
Peel Region/ON
MSW, non-hazardous,
non-recyclable residual
waste
180,000
Electricity
Ville de Quebec/QC
MSW, ICI, sludge,
non-hazardous,
non-recyclable residual
waste
300,000
Steam
Energy from waste
facility/PEI
MSW, non-hazardous,
non-recyclable and
sawmill residual waste
33,000
Steam
Strategy 3: Energy and materials recovery from waste
Waste to energy conversion refers to the generation of energy in the form of electricity, heat or steam from waste. The most common methods for waste to energy
conversion are thermal treatment (incineration with energy recovery, gasification,
de-polymerization and pyrolysis) and non-thermal treatment (anaerobic digestion).
Canada has five large waste-to-energy facilities operating that use mixed MSW as
the feedstock and convert them into heat or steam, as listed in Table 1.4.
Strategy 4: Waste disposal
The least preferable but by far the most common waste management strategy in
Canada is waste disposal by landfill and incineration. Landfill refers to the burial
of waste materials and is the oldest form of waste treatment. They are usually the
most cost-efficient way to dispose of the waste. However, there are some environmental and health concerns associated with landfill disposal such as contamination
of groundwater by landfill leachate and emission of methane—a GHG, as discussed
in the later sections. After recycling and recovering, the residual MSW is landfilled in
almost 2000 operating landfill sites across Canada [7]. Each province or territory has
specific guidelines and standards for landfill site design and operation of which some
include landfill bans for specific materials such as hazardous waste or the materials
that can be recycled through recycling programs [7].
Incineration is another option for waste disposal, which refers to the waste thermal
treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances of the waste