Progressive Waste Solutions opens high-tech waste reduction facility in Ontario
On June 25th, Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. officially opened its high-tech waste reduction facility in the city of Vaughan, Ontario. The new operation will redirect up to 85 per cent of the construction, demolition and renovation waste it receives away from landfills for reuse or conversion to bio-fuel.
“We are proud to play a leadership role in sustainable waste management and to help keep Ontario green,” said Dan Pio, Canadian Chief Operating Officer of Progressive Waste Solutions.
“Canadians are increasingly recognizing that waste is a resource and are looking for innovative solutions for the waste stream. With our new facility, the largest of its kind in Ontario, we are leading the charge to preserve our environment by reducing and reusing building materials that would normally go to landfills. We have invested $14 million in this facility, centrally located on 10 acres of industrial land, which will help the industrial, commercial and institutional sector, along with households in the community, achieve higher rates of waste reduction.”
Currently, the construction and demolition industry in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is estimated to produce nearly 500,000 tonnes of waste annually. The new Progressive Waste Solutions facility is equipped to process about 20 per cent of the market’s construction and demolition debris, or 100,000 tonnes of waste per year, representing the equivalent of 3,500 tractor trailer loads of material that can be diverted from landfills. The wood that is recovered at the facility will be processed into clean, high-quality “green” fuel to be utilized at electricity and steam generating plants, replacing fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions downstream.
The Honourable Jim Bradley, Ontario Minister of the Environment, was in attendance to make remarks and to officially open the facility. “Ontario’s proposed Waste Reduction Act is about recycling wastes back into our economy as raw material, generating new jobs and Ontario-made products. We want to attract more companies like Progressive Waste Solutions that are helping to protect our environment while building a stronger, greener economy,” said Minister Bradley.
“With this facility, Progressive Waste Solutions is demonstrating that we are a leader in innovation and sustainability in the waste management sector,” said Mr. Pio. “Our industry must come up with economically viable and environmentally conscious solutions that can handle the waste management needs of today and evolve to meet the needs of tomorrow. With the creation of over 50 local jobs at our facility, we are an example of how industry can deliver services that not only address market requirements, but do so in ways that benefit the entire community and the environment.”
As one of North America’s largest full-service waste management companies, Progressive Waste Solutions says they provide non-hazardous solid waste collection, recycling and disposal services to commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers in 13 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and six Canadian provinces, with vertically integrated collection and disposal assets.
