Toronto's green bin program may power next generation waste trucks.
Toronto’s ‘digestible’ green-bin waste moves through the Dufferin Transfer Station on its way to becoming reusable compost, but since 2002 the methane generated has been flared. That is about to change, reports The Star, with the city’s solid waste management department considering a plan to harness the renewable biomethane fuel. Department General Manager Geoff Rathbone will reportedly present the plan in May, which could see up to 285 waste haulage trucks operating on biomethane, following a pilot program to begin later this year.
The city is also considering use of the biomethane for power generation. Alicia Milner, president of the Canadian Natural gas Vehicle Alliance (CNGVA), commented that while the Province of Ontario offers a generous incentive for renewable power production including power produced from biogas, green power producers must relinquish carbon credits to the Province if they take the incentive. “This loss of carbon credits was cited by City of Toronto staff as a disadvantage of the power pathway, but an advantage that could be captured if some of the biogas is upgraded and used as green natural gas for heat and for vehicle fuel,” Milner said.
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