It is not unknown that climate change is real. Its detrimental consequences are here for all of us to see.
Taking this into consideration, many countries and corporations are striving to do their bit towards the betterment of the environment. In an attempt to safeguard the environment, Toronto is beginning to take trash seriously.
And by seriously, we mean QUITE SERIOUSLY!
One of the first cities in the North of America to launch this initiative, Toronto will be collecting trash which will be converted to biogas for its trucks.
Thanks to the Dufferin Solid Waste Management Facility, this program will begin from March 2020. The fleet of garbage trucks in the city will collect all forms of food scraps and organic water from the Green Bins and will bring them to the processing facility. The facility will then use anaerobic digesters to help capture the biogas produced by using this waste and, subsequently, transforming it into renewable natural gas (RNG).
After dropping off the scraps at the processing facility, the garbage trucks of this city can immediately fill their fuel tanks. They can use this RNG before heading out to get more trash back to the facility.
The city officials believe that this is a great opportunity to make the process environmentally friendly. In their words, “RNG is also less expensive and more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels such as diesel. Once injected into the natural gas pipeline, it can be used to fuel vehicles or provide electricity or heat to homes and businesses.”
This RNG generated from food waste can be considered carbon-negative. This is because there will be a reduction in the emissions by not burning petroleum-based fuel.
Currently, 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the city of Toronto are primarily due to garbage from food waste. However, with this arrangement, Toronto can produce approximately 3.2 million cubic meters of RNG in a year. Due to this, there will be a saving of around 9,000 tonnes of CO2 that would have otherwise ended up in the air.
In the pipeline is also a plan to make the city’s waste production schemes entirely dependant on RNG in the coming years.
We are looking forward to this development! Isn’t it wonderful? Do share your views in the comments section below.
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