The City, in partnership with Enbridge Gas Distribution, will begin installing new equipment at the Dufferin Solid Waste Management Facility later this year.
The new equipment will allow the raw biogas produced from processing Toronto's ‘green bin’ organic material into renewable natural gas (RNG) that can be injected into the natural gas grid. Once in the grid, the city will be able to use the RNG to fuel its collection trucks.
The first cubic metre of RNG is expected to be produced by the third quarter of 2019.
Mayor John Tory said: “This project represents a path to low-carbon fuel for the city and will play an important role in helping us reach our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.”
“The Dufferin Organics Processing Facility is one of two state-of-the-art City facilities that use innovative pre-processing and anaerobic digestion technology to break down organic material,” said Councillor Jaye Robinson, chair of the City's Public Works & Infrastructure Committee. “Introducing RNG production at the site further emphasises its status as a leading sustainable solid waste management facility.”
Current estimates suggest that the Dufferin RNG facility will produce approximately 5.3 million cubic metres of RNG per year – enough to power 132 heavy duty garbage trucks or about 90% of the city's solid waste collection fleet. It is the first of four waste-to-RNG production opportunities identified by the city.
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