Emterra Environmental Investing $50 Million in Cleaner Air and More Jobs in Peel

Waste diversion leader Emterra Environmental and its partners are set to invest nearly $50 million in cleaner air, more jobs and a new compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet as well as a fueling and maintenance facility in the heart of the Region of Peel. Located in Mississauga, the facility will be the largest CNG fuelling station in Ontario.

The investment stems from Emterra’s successful bid to provide approximately 216,000 households in the north and southwestern area of the region with single stream recycling, food organics, yard waste, bulk waste and garbage collection services under a long-term contract with the Region of Peel beginning in January, 2016. In keeping with its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Region of Peel required the use of CNG-fueled vehicles.

As a result of winning this contract, Emterra will generate employment in the areas of collection services, fleet maintenance, administration and supervisory functions.

The new facility will include a CNG-certified maintenance shop, a CNG fuelling station and offices. U.S. GAIN Clean Fuel, a division of U.S. Venture, is partnering with Emterra in building and operating the CNG station, which will support Emterra’s Mississauga-based fleet of over 100 CNG waste and recycling collection vehicles. Construction is scheduled to start during the summer of 2015.

Using CNG collection trucks can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 per cent and significantly decreases truck operating noise which can be a disruptive nuisance to local residents. The noise from one idling diesel truck is comparable to the noise from 10 idling natural gas trucks.

Currently, Emterra uses CNG trucks in its waste collection operations in Manitoba and throughout British Columbia. The 60-vehicle CNG fleet in Winnipeg is the largest in the world operating in an extreme cold weather climate.

The new Emterra CNG trucks operating in the Region of Peel will be equipped with the latest automated side loader arms that lift the new waste and recycling carts over the truck body to be emptied. (The Region of Peel plans to convert the existing garbage bag/blue box system to a cart-based system in January, 2016.)

“We look forward to working with the Region of Peel on its waste, recycling, and organics collection program in 2016 and we commend it on revamping this program into one of the most innovative waste diversion programs in North America. As well, we’re very excited by this opportunity to introduce our fleet of green, emissions-friendly waste collection trucks in our collection territory,” said Emterra's Founder and CEO Emmie Leung.

“Requiring our waste collection contractors to use compressed natural gas vehicles is one example of how the Region of Peel is continuously finding ways to design and deliver waste management services that meet the needs of customers and reduce the negative impact of waste,” says Norman Lee, Director, Waste Management at Region of Peel. “CNG vehicles generate fewer greenhouse gases and less pollutants which means they’ll be better for residents and better for the environment too.”