New Organics Facility

Last updated: September 25, 2024

Halifax Organics Management Facility, HRM’s New Organics Facility, formally started its operations on September 13, 2024.

With a processing capacity of 60,000 tonnes of organic waste per year, this facility will receive and process all residential and Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) organics collected within the municipality. Through diversion of organic waste from landfills, this new facility will play an important role in supporting the municipality’s commitment to circular economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our community.

Project Background

In December 2020, Regional Council awarded RFP 19-060 for establishment of a new composting facility to replace the two existing facilities, Ragged Lake Composting Facility and Burnside Composting Facility, and to support the continued success of the municipal green cart program. Harbour City Renewables (HCR) was awarded to design, build, own, and operate the new facility for 25 years as part of this contract.

The new facility is located at 37 Evergreen Place,  Goodwood, adjacent to the site of the previous Ragged Lake Composting Facility (you can see a site plan here). 

There is a Halifax member-based Community Liaison Committee (CLC) related to operations of the existing Ragged Lake Composting Facility. This committee will continue its activities during the operation of the New Facility. 

Rendering of the New Organics Facility

Facility Features

The facility follows a state-of-the-art design, with all composting activities completed indoors in order to minimize impacts to the neighboring communities (e.g., noise, odour) and the environment during its operation. Designed with a capacity to process 60,000 tonnes of organic waste a year, the facility will meet and exceed the NS Environment and Climate Change (NSECC) 2010 Composting Facility Guidelines. 

Some of the modern features for the new facility include: 

  • Odour Control – The new facility design incorporates significant measures to mitigate odours, including the use of air locks/double doors. Air from inside the facility is scrubbed through a four-cell biofilter system which discharges air to a single 30 m tall exhaust stack – this means that odours from the facility cannot escape to the surrounding community.
  • Energy Efficiency – The facility design includes LED lighting and takes advantage of the heat generated from the compost process, and rooftop rainwater collection.
  • Water Negative Process – Unlike the existing composting facilities, the new facility is water negative. This means any leachate produced is recycled through the process and does not have to be treated off-site. Storm water from the site is also collected and reused in the composting process and for fire protection. No process wastewater will be discharged from the facility. 
  • Secondary Containment – The facility has been designed with a secondary containment system under the concrete floors to allow for leak detection and sampling.
  • New Use of By-products – Ammonium sulphate, generated from the odour control system, can be marketed as a fertilizer product for the agriculture industry.

What Happens to the Existing Facilities:

Closure plans for the existing Ragged Lake and Burnside facilities have been developed and submitted to Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (NSECC) for review. Once these plans are approved, the municipality will coordinate decommissioning activities starting in mid- to late-fiscal year 2024/25 and proceeding through fiscal 2025/26.

 

Public Consultations for the New Facility

Since 2014, the municipality has been working towards developing a new organics management facility to process residential and commercial organics. As part of the planning steps, the conditions of the two existing composting facilities were assessed, a business case for a new facility was developed, and comprehensive public engagement was completed  (September to December 2016) with the findings incorporated into the siting and requirements fo r the development of a new facility. 

Comprehensive public engagement included:

•    4 public engagement sessions in person, open to the general public, with 72 residents in attendance (total);
•    1,099 online surveys were completed through Shape Your City Community Engagement Hub website;
•    444 comments were provided by the public;
•    17 stakeholder groups were consulted (e.g., Dalhousie University, Restaurant Association of NS, Local Business’s Surrounding Ragged Lake/Goodwood Facility, Clean Foundation).

Site Selection and Zoning for the New Facility

In March 2018, Regional Council approved changes to the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy (RMPS), the Halifax Mainland Planning Strategy (MPS), as well as the Land Use By-law (LUB), to enable the replacement and expansion of the municipal composting facility located on Evergreen Place.
As part of the planning review process, public consultation was achieved by:

  • Providing information, and seeking comments, through the municipal website;
  • Mailing notification letters to property owners within 1,500 m of the site;
  • Holding two public information meeting sessions on Thursday, July 20, 2017;
  • Holding a public hearing during the March 27, 2018 meeting of Regional Council, which provided further opportunity.
2021 Public Consultation and ARIA (Archaeological Resource Impact Assessment)

As part of the Approval application process in 2021, a new Public Consultation and ARIA (Archaeological Resource Impact Assessment) was completed for this project. Both documents were reviewed and approved by Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (NSECC).
2021 Public Consultation included:

  • Print ads:
    • Chronicle Herald –
      • July 31, 2021 (circulation 93,178)
      • August 4, 2021(circulation 91,152)
    • Masthead News – August 2021 edition (circulation 30,000 in the Prospect/St Margarets Bay Community)
  • Emails to Key Stakeholders;
  • Social media post via Twitter (+65K followers) and Facebook (via the Brookside Community Homeowners Association).
Environmental Monitoring During the New Facility Construction

Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change (NSECC) reviewed the project plans and issued an Approval for the project in phases, with full construction Approval issued on December 17, 2021. 

Some of the project requirements during the construction phase according to the Approval included:

  • Erosion and sediment control;
  • A surface water monitoring program;
  • A groundwater monitoring program; and
  • Noise control.
Environmental Monitoring During the New Facility Operation

The new facility has been designed to minimize environmental impact. The facility is energy efficient (as compared to similar facilities), generally will generate no leachate and has state of the art odour mitigation measures in place. 

An Operating Approval for the New Facility was issued by NSECC on February 29, 2024. Environmental monitoring measures will be in place during the operation of the new facility in accordance with this Approval and will include:

  • Inspections and monitoring of erosion and sedimentation controls;
  • Surface water quality monitoring (storm water pond and surface water sources);
  • Groundwater quality (including well water) monitoring;
  • Wastewater/leachate quality monitoring;
  • Secondary containment liner sump monitoring;
  • Compost quality monitoring; and odour emissions monitoring.
Community Liaison Committee

There is a Halifax member-based Community Liaison Committee (CLC) related to operations of the existing Ragged Lake Composting Facility. The CLC provides a stakeholder forum for mutual distribution, consultation, review and exchange of information regarding the operations and maintenance of the existing Facility, including processing of materials, environmental monitoring, complaint resolutions, and any new environmental approvals or amendments. The composition of the CLC is structured to provide a balance of perspectives, including members from AIM (Operator); the Municipality (Facility and property owner); local property owners; residents; businesses; and the Councilor for District 11. 

The CLC will continue its activities through the operation of the New Facility.