At its Jan. 17 board meeting, the TNRD ratified the Ministry of Environment’s (MOE) approval of the Extension’s inclusion in the regional district’s Solid Waste Management Plan in a vote of 25-1. The only dissenting vote was from Area P director John Sternig, who opposed waste being imported into the area.
“I’m very delighted to have gotten this far in ensuring the continuation of the landfill industry for Cache Creek,” said Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta.
The Extension will accept 750,000 tonnes per year to a max of 15 million tonnes for a lifespan of approximately 20 years if the annual maximum was reached. Ranta sayd they are not anticipating that it will meet the yearly limit without Metro Vancouver, which provides almost half of the province’s municipal garbage.
The Village of Cache Creek will share the operating permit of the new landfill with Belkorp Environmental Services Inc (BESI).
The CCLF Extension has the support of the TNRD, the neighbouring Village of Ashcroft, the Ashcroft Indian Band and the Bonaparte Indian Band. The facility secures the industry in the region, and provides new economic development opportunities for the Indian Bands.
The CCLF Extension is different from the current Cache Creek Landfill (operated by Wastech Services, a subsidiary of BESI) on a number of fronts, as it is not limited to servicing only one customer.
There are no customers yet, says Ranta, but “The Extension will be a viable option for municipalities in the southwest and interior areas of the province, and on Vancouver Island.”
Design and technical features unique to the CCLF Extension set the facility apart from other waste management options. According to Russ Black, Vice President of Corporate Development for BESI, a significant benefit of the facility will be its affordability and flexibility, which means it won’t compete with efforts to minimize waste and increase diversion.
“The Extension will be developed in stages, and this flexibility will keep costs lower than other disposal options for municipalities. This means municipal budgets can be directed to focussing on increasing recycling and composting,” says Russ Black. “From a lifecycle perspective, a facility like the CCLF Extension is the most sensible disposal option in terms of cost, climate protection and progress toward zero waste.”
The CCLF Extension, designed to exceed current BC landfill criteria, will feature a number of environmental attributes including the generation of energy from landfill gas (no less than 75 per cent recovery) and a double‐composite liner (four layers) – the first of its kind in the province. Site preparation will begin in summer 2013.
Ranta adds that one of Belkorp’s three reciprocating engines will be operating by this summer, taking methane from the landfill and producing about 1.4 MW of electricity to sell back to BC Hydro – enough power for over 1,000 homes.
The incinerator proponents call them “Waste To Energy” (WTE), says Ranta, “but landfilling can also be WTE. We’re showing how it’s done.”
Details for the Operating Certificate still have to be finalized between Belkorp and MOE. Ranta says a public monitoring committee would be part of that certificate if there is to be one, and there probably will be.
Plans for the Extension have been under way for years. MOE granted an Environmental Certificate in January 2010. Following a regional public consultation process, the TNRD added the proposed facility in its solid waste management plan in November 2011. This amendment was approved by MOE in December 2012, and ratified by the TNRD Board last week.
Metro Vancouver’s contract for the Cache Creek Landfill expires in 2016, at which time it will be closed. Until then, the landfill and the Extension may both be operating at the same time.
