WA S T E T O E N E R G Y
by Ivan Renco “Anaerobic Digester systems are not large composting facilities but offer a niche recycling alternative to large generators of food waste.”
Green Energy to the Rescue Anaerobic digestion at Loblaws Maple Grove Distribution Center
T
here’s a lot to grasp and comprehend when discussing green energy. When driving through our country now, many see the wind farms in the distance or the positioned solar panel rooftops of our city buildings catching all that free solar energy and we say “whoa”, the future is here, now. Nirvana. However, many see a highly subsidized boondoggle that has trampled the countryside, ran roughshod over communities’ rights, and has been force-fed to ratepayers to accept. Everyone has more than an opinion in this debate. In the midst of this thorny debate exists a very quiet and efficient green energy system: the farm-based anaerobic Digester (AD). While most AD systems have Feed in Tariff (FIT) contracts that carry the same level of subsidies that their wind and solar cousins carry, there is a true utility to their existence: to render manure for safe, odourless land application. AD systems remove pathogens from manure and produce a nutrient rich by-product called digestate that can be spread on fields and used for animal bedding if dried. The methane produced inside the AD process powers generators which create electricity. Better yet, AD systems can breakdown food wastes from commercial and industrial sources efficiently. Farm based AD systems are not large, municipal composting systems; however, they
Loblaws MGDC Facts! Facility size: 964,000 ft2 1400 employees 1600 trucks out to stores/week 2.7 million cases of product Serves 256 stores Food waste accounts for 0.0003% or 2 loads per month
If you’ve never thought of Joseph Haulage for the transport of solid hazardous and non-hazardous waste, then it’s time to think again – and think big. With the addition of hazardous waste and walking floor services, Joseph Haulage is pleased to offer new lanes into Quebec and the United States – we carry the load!
1-855-6-JOSEPH www.josephhaulage.com October/November 2014 www.solidwastemag.com 17
17-21 swr o-n 2014 waste to energy p 17-21.indd 17
14-10-23 11:27 AM