August 25, 1998
To:Works and Utilities Committee
From:Angelos Bacopoulos
General Manager - Solid Waste Management Services
Subject:New Fee for Residues from Recycling Operations
Purpose:
To seek authority to establish a new solid waste management fee for residues from recycling
operations which will be used for daily cover material at the Keele Valley Landfill Site.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
It is recommended that a new fee of $10.00/tonne be established for residues from recycling
operations that is lower than the fee of $50.00/tonne for mixed waste. Recycling residues may
be utilized as an alternative to soil for daily landfill cover subject to approval for such use by
the Ontario Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.). This will generate additional revenue and
provide operating savings to the City.
It is assumed that approximately one-half of the daily cover requirements at the Keele Valley
Landfill site may be obtained from recycling residues. This amount of alternative daily cover
(ADC) equates to approximately 500 tonnes per day or approximately 130,000 tonnes per
year. If a new fee of $10.00 per tonne is established for this material, revenues of
approximately $1,300,000.00 may accrue to the City on an annual basis.
The use of this material as daily cover will also offset the operating costs incurred in
excavating and transporting clean soil to the tipping face. This operational saving is estimated
to be $130,000.00 per year.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)a new solid waste management fee of ten dollars per tonne ($10.00/tonne) be established
at the Keele Valley Landfill site for soil-like residues from recycling operations for use as
alternative daily cover (ADC) at the landfill site, conditional upon approval by the Ministry of
Environment for such use;
(2)the quantities of materials described in Recommendation No. 1 be limited to a maximum
of 1000 tonnes per day and that this material be accepted on a first come first served basis;
and
(3)the appropriate City of Toronto officials be authorized to give effect thereto.
Council Reference/Background/History
The operation of the Keele Valley Landfill Site requires that the tipping face be covered at the
end of each working day to provide litter, odour and vermin controls. Typically, six inches of
clean soil is used which incurs costs for excavating and transporting the soil to the tipping
face. To partially offset these operational costs, we are presently accepting clean soil delivered
to the site at a fee of $10.00 per truckload. In 1997, we received a total of 26,652 loads.
Materials other than soil for daily landfill cover have been tested and used as a common
practice in numerous landfills in North America and the Province of Ontario. An opportunity
exists to use soil-like residue from recycling operations as alternative daily cover at the Keele
Valley Landfill.
Discussion and Justification:
In recognition of the fact that alternatives exist to using soil for daily cover at landfills in
Ontario, the M.O.E. has prepared a guideline entitled "Procedures for Gaining Approval to
Use Alternative Material to Soil as Daily Cover in Landfills that Receive Only Municipal and
Non-Hazardous Solid Waste." City of Toronto staff have applied to the M.O.E. to use
dewatered paper fibre and soil-like residue from recycling operations for alternative daily
cover at the Keele Valley Landfill Site. Staff expect that a source of revenue from such
materials can be realized and that operating costs for excavating and hauling daily cover can
be reduced. A photograph of such typical residues are attached to this report for reference.
The relatively high fee for mixed waste is a deterrent to generators of these recycling residues
to dispose of the material as mixed waste at the Keele Valley Landfill Site. Presently, this
recycling residue is being accepted free of charge at other landfills as daily cover material.
Hauling costs to these landfills vary from $6.66 to $12.00 per tonne. A lower fee competitive
with their total disposal cost is required so that the generators of recycling residues will bring
their materials to the Keele Valley Landfill Site to be put to beneficial use. In addition, their
existing disposal sites are insufficient and having Keele Valley Landfill as another avenue for
disposing of their residue material will allow them to expand their recycling operations.
City staff applied to the M.O.E. on August 10, 1998, (for a six-month trial period) to use two
types of recycling residues as alternative daily cover at the Keele Valley Landfill Site: paper
fibre and soil-like residue from recycling operations. Paper fibre created in producing recycled
paper sometimes contains small pieces of glass and plastic which make it unacceptable in
producing finished paper. This product is therefore rejected from the paper producing process
but it is an appropriate material to use as daily cover. Paperboard Industries who produce
paper fibre have expressed interest in bringing their rejected paper fibre to the Keele Valley
Landfill Site for use as alternative daily cover material at a fee lower than that for mixed
waste.
Harbour Front Recycling, Harkow Recycling and Rancor Wood Recycling each have
Certificates of Approval from the M.O.E. to accept, handle, recycle, and transport
construction and demolition material. The recycling process involves removing recyclable
materials from the waste streams. It includes shredding and screening the material in the
process which yields a relatively homogeneous, finely ground soil-like material suitable to use
as daily cover. All three companies have expressed interest in bringing this residual material
to the Keele Valley Landfill Site for use as alternative daily cover material at a fee lower than
that for mixed waste. The proposed SWM fee of $10.00/ tonne has been discussed with these
generators. Staff has received feedback that if the fee were set higher than $10.00/tonne, the
generators would not deliver the material to Keele Valley.
A list of criteria has been described in the letter of application to the M.O.E. for the utilization
of paper fibre and soil-like products from recycling operations as alternative daily cover.
These criteria include maximum allowable levels of specific chemical compounds, maximum
leachable levels of specific chemical compounds, maximum particle size, passing of a slump
test, minimal odour, minimal dust, and no wind blown litter. Each generator will be required
to prove that their residue complies with these criteria prior to acceptance at the site.
It is recommended that a maximum of 1000 tonnes per day of recycling residue be accepted at
the Keele Valley Landfill Site. This is based on the daily requirements for daily cover material
assuming current disposal rates of approximately 7000 tonnes per day, an in-place waste
density of approximately 650 kilograms per cubic metre, a density of the recycling residue of
500 kilograms per cubic metre and a ratio of waste to daily cover of 5.7 to one by volume.
Although a maximum of 1,000 tonnes per day is required, existing suppliers cannot provide
this amount. Based on this uncertainty in supply, if it is assumed that approximately 500
tonnes per day of these residues are delivered to the Keele Valley Landfill, annual revenues of
approximately $1,300,000 may accrue to the City (500 tonnes x 260 days/year x
$10.00/tonne).
The ADC material would offset current annual costs of excavating and hauling 500 tonnes of
on-site soil for daily cover by approximately $130,000.00 (500 tonnes x $1.00/tonne x 260
days /year)
Conclusions:
Establishing a new solid waste management fee for paper fibre and soil-like residues from
recycling operations which are of beneficial use for alternative daily cover at the Keele Valley
Landfill should create a source of revenue to the City of approximately $1,300,000.00 per
year. Utilization of residue as ADC should offset annual operating costs of approximately
$130,000.00. Upon approval from the Ontario Ministry of Environment to use these residues
as substitutes to daily cover, it is recommended that a SWM fee of $10.00 per tonne be
applied to these materials.
Contact Name:
Lou Ciardullo. Sr. Eng. - Keele Valley Landfill
Solid Waste Management Services
Phone: (905) 832-0682 (235) Fax: (905) 832-4944
E-mail: Lou_Ciardullo@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca
Angelos BacopoulosBarry H. Gutteridge
General ManagerCommissioner
Solid Waste Management ServicesWorks & Emergency Services
AH/LC/CC:kl/agadcfee1
cc:Committee
G. Rempe