Glossary of Terms

Aerobic Composting: Composting is a controlled microbiological process in the presence of oxygen that decomposes organic matter into carbon dioxide, water, minerals and stabilized organic matter.

Anaerobic Digestion (AD): is a process of biologically degrading materials in the absence of oxygen. This produces a ‘biogas’ which is rich in methane (CH4) and can be used to generate energy for uses such as, electrical power generation.

Biostabilization: Biostabilization is the composting of a mixed waste stream containing both organic and inorganic materials to produce a stable, but less consistent product.

Certificate of Approval: Certificates of approval are legal documents issued by the Ministry of the Environment through the Environmental Assessments Approval Branch (EEAB) that permit an activity to proceed in compliance with all relevant legislation (for waste management facilities the legislation is primarily the Environmental Protection Act and the Ontario Water Resources Act). Facilities that release emissions to the atmosphere, discharge contaminants to ground and surface water, provide potable water supplies, or store, transport or dispose of waste, are all required to obtain Certificates of Approval to ensure ongoing operations will not result in harmful impacts to health or the natural environment.

Composting: Composting is the process that produces compost materials, an end product of a natural process that reduces organic waste to humus. Compost contains a good range of major and minor plant nutrients, trace elements essential for healthy plant growth, as well as soil microbes and organic fibre for building healthy soil. Compost benefits gardens, green spaces and lawns. Composting helps reduce garbage output by over 30 per cent (one-third less garbage requiring landfill disposal).  

Compost-Like Output (CLO): Following mechanical screening and biological treatment, Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) processes can produce a range of organic materials for potential ‘compost’ applications.  However, due to the variability of the mixed waste feedstock, and the quality of the materials produced following MBT processing and curing, it may be more realistic to consider these materials as CLOs rather than compost materials.

The production and quality of compost in Ontario is governed by the Interim Guidelines for the Production and use of Aerobic Compost in Ontario (November 2004). These Guidelines stipulate requirements for metals, organic chemicals, non-biodegradable particulate matter, stability and other parameters. Although there are beneficial uses for CLO, they are not as well established in Ontario and will require further site-specific approvals. The City of Toronto is working on developing greater certainty around the use of CLO.

Digestate: Digestate is the solid material remaining after the anaerobic digestion of a biodegradable feedstock. It is similar to compost, however the digestion process typically does not break down the cellulose to the same extent as aerobic composting. For this reason, digestate is often subjected to an aerobic composting stage subsequent to the anaerobic digestion.

Diversion: (Waste Diversion) is the practice of removing specific materials from the waste stream or preventing identified materials from entering the waste stream, prior to disposal. Diversion initiatives can include municipal recycling programs, home composting, bottle return, reusable item donation, waste reduction initiatives, product stewardship or “take-it-back” programs.

Environmental Assessment (EA): An Environmental Assessment is a systematic process, conducted in accordance with the Environmental Assessment Act in Ontario, to assess the effects of a proposed undertaking on the environment. An EA includes evaluating the need for the project, reviewing alternatives and assessing potential impacts on the environment (i.e., the biophysical, economic, cultural and social environments). An EA also considers the mitigation, remedial, monitoring and/or compensatory measures associated with potential impacts. Generally, a municipality must undertake an EA study in order to develop new long-term waste disposal options.

Energy-from-Waste (EFW): An EFW facility is an electrical power generation plant that converts the heat energy in solid waste material into energy in the form of electricity and/or heat a portion of which is renewable energy. Modern EFW plants may employ advanced thermal technologies that produce energy through the combustion of solid waste in specially designed power plants equipped with the most modern pollution control equipment to clean emissions..

Exothermic: Exothermic describes a process that gives of energy, usually in the form of heat.

Green Lane Landfill: This is the name of the landfill the City of Toronto purchased in 2007 and it is located in the Southwold Township, Ontario.

Green Lane Resources: Green Lane Resources is the proposed name for the mixed waste processing facility.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA): A process used to assess or predict the health effects of a project or policy; inform or influence the decision-making process; and mitigate any health consequences of a decision. The Toronto Public Health HIA framework provides the option for three levels of assessment, a screening assessment, a limited scope assessment, and an in-depth HIA.

Toronto Public Health HIA Screening Tool: The tool is used as the first step of an HIA. The screening tool acts as a selection process for proposed projects and quickly assesses their potential to affect a population’s health.

Pre-Screening Health Determinants decisions tool: Is a decision making tool based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process. It was designed specifically for this project to prioritize multiple options on the basis of their potential impacts on determinants of health. The determinants of health chosen are outlined in the Toronto Public Health HIA Screening Tool.

Landfill: A facility where residual waste is crushed and compacted with heavy machinery before it is buried in a series of cells and then covered with inert material. Modern landfill design includes: leachate monitoring; collection and storage; methane and biogas collection and storage; clay and membrane liners; and groundwater monitoring systems. A landfill receives waste for a specific period of time. At the end of this time, the landfill is capped with soil and vegetation and can be converted into another use such as a golf course, ski hill or recreation area. In addition, some modern landfills are able to capture and utilize biogas from the decomposing materials to generate energy.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA):A comparative assessment of alternative waste processing systems to existing solid waste management practices. In a life cycle analysis, the energy and emissions associated with fuels, electrical energy and material inputs for all stages of the waste management process (e.g., collection, transfer, treatment, disposal) are captured. Similarly, the potential benefits of the process associated with energy and/ or materials recovery displacing (avoiding) energy and/ or materials production from virgin resources are captured.

Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT): MBT is a generic term for a range of processes that may be used to treat residual waste (i.e. post curbside collection of source separated recyclables and organics) using a combination of mechanical separation and biological treatment.  This commonly comprises three stages: mechanical size reduction, biological drying (reducing moisture content) and material separation or ‘splitting’ to segregate different output streams for different purposes.

Ministry of Environment (MOE): The MOE works to protect, restore and enhance the natural environment in Ontario through legislation and enforcement, innovative programs and initiatives, strong partnerships, and public engagement. The MOE works to provide all Ontarians with clean air, land and water. The MOE conducts inspections to ensure compliance with regulations and approved operating conditions.

MOE Policy Statement: The MOE Policy Statement on Waste Management Planning (June 2007) defines diversion as reuse, recycling and composting (including anaerobic digestion). Thermal treatment and land filling (either with of without energy recovery are defined as disposal. Processes that convert waste into products that are used as alternative fuels in a thermal treatment facility (including a cement kiln) are not considered as diversion.

Mixed Waste: Mixed waste is the portion of waste remaining after materials for other city waste diversion programs, such as the Blue Bin (recycling) or Green Bin (composting), have been partially separated at source by the waste generator, and collected by or on behalf of the city. Mixed waste also includes materials that have not been separate at source, as well as biosolids.

Mixed Waste Processing: Physically, thermally, biologically, chemically or mechanically treating residual waste in order to change its characteristics to minimize waste quantities requiring disposal, to produce energy, or other beneficial materials such as CLO or RDF.

Organic Waste: Waste that contains material derived from living organisms (such as food and garden waste). In Toronto, organic material is collected through the Green Bin Program available to approximately 510,000 single-family households across the city, and now being implemented at multi-unit buildings and via Toronto’s yard waste collection program. These programs, using a variety of methods, take organic material and turn it into nutrient-rich compost.

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF): RDF is produced via a process known as bio-drying, homogenizing and reducing the particle size of the incoming waste feedstock before reducing moisture under environmentally controlled conditions. 

Residual Waste: Residual waste is the material that remains after removal of reusable and recyclable resources from the mixed waste stream after maximizing diversion through programs such as composting and recycling.

Residual Waste Working Group (RWWG): City of Toronto Citizen Advisory group comprised of eight members. The Working Group provides input and advice to staff and the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on the management of residual waste.

Single Stream: Single stream recycling refers to a system in which paper fibers and containers are mixed together, instead of being sorted into separate commodities (e.g., glass bottles, cans, paper products, etc.) by the resident and handled separately throughout the collection process. In single stream, both the collection and processing systems must be designed to handle this mixture of recyclables.

Source Separated Organics (SSO): Organic material is separated from other items set out for collection at the place/location (the source) of where they are used. Residents or businesses may sort and divide up the types of materials put out for collection instead of the sorting and separating happening at the processing or disposal facility/site.

Source Separation: Items are separated from other items set out for waste collection at the location (the source) of where they are used. Residents or businesses may sort and divide up the types of materials put out for collection (recyclables, organics, yard waste) instead of the sorting and separating happening at the processing or disposal facility/site.

Toronto: The City of Toronto as defined by the municipal boundaries of the former cities of Etobicoke, East York, North York, Scarborough, Toronto and York.