A new facility for processing organic waste in Dundalk has secured another provincial approval as progress on the project continues.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks approved updated stormwater management plans for the Southgate Renewables site located at 160 Eco Parkway on August 28.
This facility aims to handle organic waste, including materials collected from municipal green-bin programs, and transform it into renewable natural gas.
“The proposed works will recycle the source-separated organics from municipal green bin programs and other commercial organic residual materials through the anaerobic digestion process,” states the Environmental Registry of Ontario.
With provincial approvals, the facility is set to manage up to 700 tonnes of waste daily and a total of about 73,000 tonnes each year.
The approved service area extends across Ontario as well as New York, Michigan, and Ohio.
Organic material will undergo anaerobic digestion, producing biogas and digestate. The biogas will be upgraded into renewable natural gas to be injected into the Enbridge distribution system, while the digestate is anticipated to serve as fertilizer.
The federal government is contributing over $38 million towards this project through Natural Resources Canada.
“The proponent will construct an anaerobic digestion facility in Dundalk, Ontario, that will recycle approximately 73,000 tonnes of primarily source-separated organics annually from the ‘green bin’ programs of municipalities throughout Ontario,” says the record detailing federal funding.
This initiative has been in development for several years now.
A report from Township of Southgate staff indicates that the municipality first approved a purchase agreement connected to this project back in 2017, with provincial environmental approval granted in 2019.
“The project has experienced delays with amendments and further ministry and conservation authority approvals causing extensions,” noted the township report.
The deadline for substantial completion has since been pushed back to December 31, 2027.
Once it’s up and running, the facility is expected to operate around-the-clock with waste deliveries and shipments of digestate allowed six days a week.
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