The Edmonton Composting Facility was the site of the Canadian City of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

's co-

composting Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

system for processing

organic waste Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane or simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digesti ...

. Co-composting involves mixing

household waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, a ...

with

biosolids Biosolids are solid organic matter recovered from a sewage treatment process and used as fertilizer. In the past, it was common for farmers to use animal manure to improve their soil fertility. In the 1920s, the farming community began also to use ...

(

sewage sludge Sewage sludge is the residual, semi-solid material that is produced as a by-product during sewage treatment of industrial or municipal wastewater. The term " septage" also refers to sludge from simple wastewater treatment but is connected to s ...

), and using microorganisms to break them down into simple compost. Waste was separated from general garbage. In 2017 structural issues were identified in the roof of the aeration hall and by spring of 2019 conditions had deteriorated to the point that it was no longer safe to continue to operate the facility. The facility will be demolished and organic waste will be directed to the recently completed

Anaerobic Digestion Anaerobic digestion is a sequence of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to Waste management, manage waste or to produce fuels. Mu ...

Facility.

Size

Built in 1999, the Edmonton Composting Facility was the largest of its kind in North America, both in volume and capacity. At 38,690 square metres (416,500 square feet) in size it was also the largest stainless steel building in North America and could process of residential waste and (dry) of biosolids each year. A replacement facility is in the works along with the now-functional

Facility.

References

External links

City of Edmonton - Edmonton Composting Facility
Buildings and structures in Edmonton Industrial composting Sewage treatment plants in Canada Water supply and sanitation in Canada Municipal government buildings in Canada Steel {{Edmonton-stub