By Sheldon Spackman

not ready yet

COVID pandemic delays Sylvan Lake No Landfill Disposal Facility project

Jun 23, 2020 | 11:14 AM

The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed plans to have a new waste disposal facility up and running in Sylvan Lake later this year.

According to Town officials, Fogdog Energy’s proposed No Landfill Disposal Facility (NLDF) will not be up and running by Dec. 15, 2020 as previously planned, but is now hoped to be operational by Dec. 31, 2021.

The new date will arrive three years after a contractually obligated “effective date”, as per a Master Services Agreement between the Town and Fogdog.

In an email to the Town on Jan. 15, Fogdog officials said they were in the process of ensuring compliance for their equipment within the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

The codes are said to provide for the minimum safety, performance, and compliance standards to operate the required type of equipment in Canada. Acquiring those certifications is anticipated to speed up the approval process with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) which has been ongoing since August, 2019.

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A previous deadline for Fogdog to acquire the needed approvals by June 15, 2020 has now been extended to Dec. 31, 2020, as per their request.

According to Fogdog, the NLDF would divert waste from Sylvan Lake’s landfill and convert it into fuel, taking regular waste, recycling, and compost and converting it into a carbon “fluff”.

The “fluff” would then be sold for conversion into hydrocarbon products such as diesel and gasoline.

Virtually any form of waste, excluding glass, metals, and some hazardous waste, would be accepted.

It’s anticipated the facility would also divert approximately 15+ tonnes per day from the Red Deer landfill, which company officials say means less greenhouse gas (methane) emissions. Other expected benefits include a decrease in disposal fees and transportation costs in Sylvan Lake and no additional bin programs.

The technology is said to be used throughout Europe, but is relatively new in Canada.