Separate from the landfill, ECCO operates a materials-recovery facility, commonly called an MRF. The facility sorts and processes construction and demolition material generated by residential construction, home renovations, commercial projects and demolitions across Calgary and the surrounding region.
Materials such as wood, metal, concrete, cardboard and certain plastics are separated for recycling, reuse or further processing. What might be “waste” at a public landfill can often be repurposed into new commodities at a purpose built facility such as ECCO’s. Suitable material is also processed into low-carbon fuel at ECCO’s MRF and shipped to approved industrial users as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions.
Low-carbon fuel (LCF) is one of several commodities produced through the MRF. ECCO has also produced and marketed wood chips and other recovered materials for many years. Wood-chip production is a long-standing and successful part of ECCO’s business, with established uses and markets that are separate from – and do not depend on – the contracted receiving arrangement for low-carbon fuel.
The low-carbon-fuel material recently visible in piles at the site was intended to be temporary inventory awaiting further processing and shipment and is not material intended for landfill disposal. An interruption within the outbound-shipping system caused material to accumulate faster than it could be moved to receiving facilities. Put another way, the company contracted to receive the low-carbon fuel has experienced repeated and prolonged periods when its facility has been offline, leaving thousands of tonnes of construction and demolition material awaiting processing and thousands of tonnes of LCF material awaiting shipment at the ECCO site.
Material continued to arrive from Calgary construction, renovation and demolition projects while less processed material could move out of the facility. This imbalance contributed to the accumulation of on-site material.
ECCO recognizes that the resulting volume and location of the piles created concern and is working to process and ship the accumulated LCF, restore normal material flow and improve contingency planning so that a similar interruption does not result in prolonged on-site storage.
ECCO is working to restore the normal flow of incoming, processed and outgoing materials and to establish more resilient arrangements for future interruptions.
The MRF does not burn waste or low-carbon fuel at the ECCO property. It sorts and processes material before recyclable products and fuel are transported to other approved facilities.
These activities are different from placing waste into a landfill. Materials recovery is intended to keep usable material in circulation and reduce the amount ultimately requiring disposal. This further contributes to extending the lifecycle of publicly funded landfills and helps build a circular economy.