PARTNERSHIPS
Research Partnerships
Burin Peninsula Composting Pilot
Burin Peninsula Waste Management Corporation (BPWMC) – in partnership with MMSB, the Town of Grand Bank and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador – is launching an exciting new composting pilot to examine the feasibility of collecting and composting organic waste and paper fibre on the Burin Peninsula. The project has the potential to pave the way for a local, environmentally-friendly, and cost-effective solution for the peninsula’s two largest waste streams.
Through a waste management study that was conducted in 2008, BPWMC identified organics (food and yard waste) and paper fibre (paper and cardboard) as the two largest types of waste disposed of in the region. By successfully composting organics and paper fibre on the Burin Peninsula, up to 67% of household waste could be diverted from landfills– saving money for communities within the region and reducing the region’s environmental impact from landfilling waste.
Participating households from the Town of Grand Bank will separate organic waste and paper fibre from the rest of their garbage before putting it to the curb for collection. Organic waste and paper fibre will be collected at the same time as regular garbage, but will be unloaded at a separate composting area located at the Fortune/Grand Bank waste disposal site. On site, BPWMC staff will de-bag, inspect and mix organics and paper fibre before placing it in one of three compost windrows (a long compost pile), where the composting process will be carried out. The first collection will take place on Wednesday March 7, 2012 and will continue, each Wednesday, until the pilot concludes on Nov. 21, 2012.
Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development
- Press release (.pdf)
In September 2010, a new research partnership was announced between MMSB and Memorial University's Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development (Harris Centre) to stimulate research into Newfoundland and Labrador's waste management needs and opportunities. The objectives of the research fund include developing an inventory of issues relating to waste management in the province; translating these issues into research opportunities at each stage of the waste management process; and producing a number of new waste management solutions for Newfoundland and Labrador.
The program consists of two key pillars: research and dialogue. Each will inform the other, so that dialogue and consultation shape research questions, leading to new ideas which then encourage further research to achieve implementation. The research may relate to policy issues, regional or local management, or technology and best practices with emphasis placed on reducing the amount of waste created, reusing materials and products, recycling or reprocessing waste, recovering some useful benefit from waste, and disposing of waste that has no further economic or environmental benefit.
The fund will be modeled similar to other research partnership programs managed by the Harris Centre. Memorial faculty and graduate students will have the opportunity to apply for project funding, up to a maximum of $15,000 per project. The total operating cost contribution by the MMSB is $100,000 annually for each of the next three years.
Town of Holyrood Community Composting
- Press Release (.pdf)
The Town of Holyrood is the first community to participate in the MMSB Community Composting Demonstratoin Program, launched in October 2009. Community composting utilizes low-tech composting methods such as an open air windrow (long triangulated piles of organic material that are turned on regular intervals) to compost leaf, yard and household organics. These sites will give simple effective means to divert organic waste from the landfill and minimize waste disposal costs to the community. By establishing these sites at select locations throughout the province, MMSB hopes to prove the viability of community composting in the various areas and climates of the province. A best practices manual will be developed to help other communities throughout the province develop and implement their own community composting programs.
The Community Composting Demonstration Program will help the Town of Holyrood and other communities that can learn from their experience, achieve greater waste reduction. Holyrood and other communities with community composting programs can decrease the cost of transportation and disposal of their waste at regional facilities, and decrease the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and leachate associated with organic waste management. The Town of Holyrood will be using the finished compost on local parks and green spaces throughout the community. Once finished compost is available, residents will be able to avail of it free-of-charge.
Carbon Footprint Report
- Press Release (.pdf)
- Carbon Footprint Report (.pdf)
Utilizing industry standard processes, MMSB conducted its own research on the carbon footprint of the Used Beverage Container Recycling Program. Stantec Consulting, a leading sustainable design and GHG consulting firm, reviewed the data on activities related to GHG emissions to confirm an accurate representation of the carbon footprint of MMSB's Used Beverage Container Recycling Program.
Through beverage container recycling last year, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians reduced the same amount of carbon emissions as planting 8 million trees. Research conducted by the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) indicates that recycling beverage containers in the province has a significant positive impact on the environment. MMSB has estimated that the 157 million used beverage containers that were recycled last year, through the province-wide network of Green Depots, saved 7,651 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
For more information on research opportunities please contact Gordon Murphy.