The City collects about 170,000 tonnes of waste which are processed with most being treated at the Disco organics processing facility.
A ground-breaking Etobicoke organics processing plant is being expanded to handle our City’s growing garbage disposal issues.
A huge expansion is planned for the Disco Road Organics Processing Facility (OPF), at 120 Disco Road, which processes 75,000 tonnes of organics yearly using state-of-the-art pre-processing system and anaerobic digestion (AD).
AD is a process by which organic materials in an enclosed vessel are broken down by micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen. AD produces bio-gas which can be used to heat City buildings, according to a report.
The large Disco Road organics facility processes the most organic goods in the City of Toronto.
Many residents may know the Disco site because it also serves as a transfer station, outdoor areas for yard waste composting and a drop-off depot for household hazardous waste and electronic waste.
The City’s Solid Waste Management Services on March 13 called on an Infrastructure and Environment Committee to expand the Disco Road facility as a more cost-effective measure rather than building a new plant.
The big rigs deliver tonnes of organics, much of which is turned into bio-gas to heat City buildings cheaper than other fuels.
“Expanding the existing Disco OPF would be the most cost-effective way to increase the City’s organics processing capacity versus building a new facility,” according to a report.
It said the expansion will allow the City to increase its organics processing capacity at Disco OPF from 75,000 tonnes per year up to 140,000 tonnes per year
“Expansion of the Disco OPF would take advantage of existing infrastructure and known technology, reducing both risk and costs of the project,” according to the City.
The Disco plant processes 75,000 tonnes of organics yearly using state-of-the-art pre-processing system and anaerobic digestion (AD).
The expansion, which has been approved by the City, is expected to cost millions of dollars and possibly hire more local workers.
The City is responsible for the collection, transport, processing and disposal of over 900,000 tonnes of waste a year. This includes garbage, Blue Bin recycling, Green Bin organics, yard waste, oversized and metal items, household hazardous waste and electronic waste that requires a sophisticated network of facilities.
The Disco facility won a SWANA Award for best landfill gas and biogas technology.
The City collects about 170,000 tonnes of organic material through its Green Bin organics program each year. There are two state-of-the-art organics processing facilities at Disco Road and Dufferin that use innovative pre-processing and anaerobic digestion technology.
The City has seven transfer stations where waste is collected, sorted and then transferred to various processing or disposal facilities, which include the Disco Road Organics Processing Facility, Dufferin Organics Processing Facility, Material Recovery Facility and Green Lane Landfill.
The City in 2016 won a Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Silver Excellence Award in the Composting category for the Disco Road Facility.