Edmonton opens building-waste recycling plant

Edmonton is hoping to recycle up to 70 per cent more construction and demolition wastewith the opening ofa $4.3 millionrecycling facilityat theEdmonton Waste Management Centre.

The $4.3 million facility uses mechanical and manual sorting to separate loads of mixed material into various re-usable commodities.

Construction and demolition waste makes up about one quarter of all municipal solid waste sent to landfills in Alberta, according to Alberta Environment.

It's estimated only 10 to 15 per centof such waste is currently recycled in Alberta, said the city.

The recycling facility can process 100,000 tonnes of mixed construction and demolition material per year.

The facility is expected to recover up to 70 per centof the material for recycling.

To qualify as a mixed load, at least 75 per cent of an individual load must be made up of wood, metal, drywall, asphalt/concrete, asphalt shingles, cardboard and paper.

The 2012 rate for mixedconstruction and demolitionloads at the EWMC is $60 per tonne versus $75 per tonne for other commercial waste.