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WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR REMOTE LOCATIONS AND TEMPORARY COMMUNITIES
y experience in assisting remote and temporary communities with water and wastewater treatment challenges has shown that there is often a lack of experienced management for their overall operation. Accurate budgeting and cost management are lacking, as is a suitable labour pool of trained workers. All of these are essential to any project to ensure that operations are successful and that the communities have the benefits of reliable and viable systems. There is a need for these costs. There are various solutions for smaller communities affected by the varying size of waste streams and difficulties encountered by climate, remoteness, and content make-up that are not the norm. In this context, a “remote location” is one that has only seasonal access by road or water transportation, while a “temporary community” is one with an established time span for the construction of a project or operation of a resource-industry facility.
WASTE SOURCES Set out below is a summary of the various waste sources and methods of disposing of waste in the most economic manner for a remote location, while ensuring that environmental impact is minimized. The management and operation of waste disposal facilities and systems does require supervision and a degree of technical competence and skill. 1. Wastewater treatment plant: Sludge, compost, compression, incineration, and landfill. 2. Domestic solid wastes: Sorting items, recycle and off-site disposal, landfill, and incineration. 3. Kitchen waste: Compost, landfill, and incineration. 4. Industrial solid or liquid waste: Haul to waste processor, incineration, and landfill. 5. Domestic waste (glass etc.): Sort and haul to recycle facility. 6. Cardboard, paper, scrap metals: Sort and haul to recycle facility. 7. Non-combustible construction debris etc.: Sort, recycle, and landfill. 8. Animal remains: Incineration.
WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR REMOTE LOCATIONS AND TEMPORARY COMMUNITIES
MEANS OF DISPOSAL 1. Composting: The biodegrading of materials that will, after time, break down to form a soil type material – but, in Northern climates during the winter, this process is dormant. 2. Incineration: Total destruction of materials by heat – but it is necessary to have initial fuel sources such as diesel or dirty oil to create heat. 3. Landfill: Requires the on-site construction of a landfill cell with membrane liners and soil to progressively cover the waste. 4. Waste processor: Hauling to a waste processor requires on site 28 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Spring 2020
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