Waste-to-energy and the landfill are hot topics at the City of Lloydminster as they look to update their Integrated Waste Management Facility Master Plan.
Council heard an update on this item at the Feb. 10 Governance and Priorities Committee meeting.
In 2016, the master plan indicated a useful life on the landfill until 2060. Since that masterplan was adopted, a number of upgrades have been completed. Funds have been allocated to complete a new scale house, facility entrance and maintenance shop at the landfill. The project was ultimately paused pending evaluation and recommendations brought forward through the Integrated Waste Management and Facility Master Plan.
Due to significant capital budget requirements at the landfill over the next 10 years, the scope of work has been expanded for the master plan. It now includes an assessment of feasibility, benefits and drawbacks of continuing current ownership and operation at the landfill.
The city also explored alternative options, including the feasibility of waste-to-energy technology.
“We also looked at waste-to-energy options, which spurred a lot of discussion at council,” said Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers. “We generate 30,000 tons currently, so one-fifth (of what we need).”
The master plan also took a look at what the most viable way of dealing with the city’s trash is.
“What we saw was, dollar for dollar, the best value was to be run and operated by the City of Lloydminster,” said Aalbers.
He says the city has to have some kind of arrangement in place to deal with the trash.
The operating cost of the current landfill is $1,270,417. If they wanted to move to waste-to-energy it would cost $3,866,983. The benefit of converting the waste to energy there is potential revenue to be made from selling energy to the grid.
The conclusion from the master plan was to keep the landfill running as is.
Aalbers says keeping the landfill city-owned has major benefits.
“I think we need to keep this one front and centre, but at the same time, I do agree, having the management of what we have and having the control and being answerable to it. My concern is, if we do sell the landfill we lose control of a lot of things, but we may still have to accept some liability down the road,” he said.
The next steps for the master plan will see it brought to the Feb. 24 council meeting for approval to proceed with the phase-one recommendation. Phase two and presentation of the draft master plan will come back in the spring with a presentation for final acceptance happening in the summer.
The committee accepted the report as information and it will be brought forward to the next council meeting.
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