Operating Together for a Greener Toronto: CCI Bioenergy’s Sustainable Waste Solution

Every year, Ontarians generate a staggering 3.7 million tonnes of food and organic waste, with approximately 60 percent ending up in landfills. This wasteful practice not only contributes to the emission of methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide but also squanders valuable resources, including energy, nutrients, and organic matter vital for product growth.

In response to this environmental challenge, the City of Toronto expanded its Green Bin Program in 2013 and established its second anaerobic digestion plant. The purpose of the Green Bin Program is to divert and convert a broad range of acceptable materials from landfills and transform them into renewable energy and other beneficial use products. Toronto’s Green Bin Program is renowned as one of the most successful waste diversion programs on the continent, projected to divert millions of tonnes of organic material from landfills over the next 20 years.

At the heart of this program’s success lies CCI Bioenergy’s innovative solution. With extensive expertise in designing waste management facilities, CCI Bioenergy played a pivotal role in developing the Disco Road Organics Processing Facility. Through cutting-edge anaerobic digestion technology, the facility efficiently processes 75,000 metric tonnes of residential organic waste generated annually by Toronto’s residents through the Green Bin program.

The Process:

Pre-Processing: The organics undergo a meticulous pre-treatment system that eliminates non-organic materials like plastic, glass, and metal. To minimize landfill volumes, all non-organic materials are washed and pressed before disposal.

Anaerobic digestion: The remaining contaminant-free organic slurry enters an anaerobic digestion system, where it undergoes a transformation over an approximate 18-day period. During this process, the organics are converted into biogas and digester solids. All excess liquids are treated and purified at the on-site water treatment plant before being safely discharged into the City’s sewer system.

Conversion: A portion of the biogas is utilized for heating the facility and supporting the anaerobic digestion process. The rest of the biogas undergoes upgrading, transforming it into renewable natural gas, which is injected into Ontario’s natural gas grid. Additionally, the digester solids are sent to a composting facility in southern Ontario, where they are transformed into a final Class AA compost product, benefiting local agricultural, commercial, and horticultural markets.

Client Benefits:

CCI Bioenergy’s collaboration with the City of Toronto establishes a robust and self-sustaining farm-to-fork supply chain, embodying the principles of sustainability and circularity. Together, they achieve the following goals:

Replacing the concept of waste with restoration, maximizing resource use, and protecting the environment and community.

Fulfilling Ontario’s Food and Organic Waste Action Plan by capturing and revaluing over 99% of organics found in the Green Bin, thereby preventing the annual emission of approximately 50,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide – equivalent to taking more than 10,800 cars off the road.

Complying with all provincial environmental laws and regulations governing the collection, transportation, processing, and conversion of organics.

Supplying more than 15,000 tonnes of nutrient-rich digester solids for composting, an affordable, sustainable, and natural method that reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and enhances the structure and moisture-holding capacity of Ontario’s soil, providing valuable economic benefits to crop production.

Enhancing water sufficiency and recovery through the collection, purification, and reuse of all liquid digestate, rainwater, and other on-site water resources.

Together with Veolia’s, CCI Bioenergy is proud to lead the way in forging a greener, more sustainable future for Toronto. Through their shared commitment to responsible waste management and renewable energy generation, they are making a lasting positive impact on the environment and the community.

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