AN INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS FOR WASTE DISPOSAL SITE SWM Landfill Committee, November 22, 2017
RWDI Consulting in the Science of Buildings, Structures & Environment • Consulting Engineers and Scientists • Established in 1972 • 500+ employees
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Meet Your Speaker Brent Langille, B.Sc., P.Geo. (ON, NU, NT) Position Senior Consultant | Principal Email Brent.Langille@rwdi.com Phone +1.519.823.1311 x2618 Summary Brent Langille is a skilled senior consultant who helps firms and governments manage waste, comply with regulations, produce detailed technical reports and adapt their monitoring approaches as their organizations grow. Combining a background in geoscience with diverse professional experience in hydrogeology and geotechnical construction QA/QC, Brent excels at helping RWDI’s clients not only understand and solve waste management challenges but communicate with stakeholders, including the general public and regulators, about their work. In addition to delivering substantial value to clients, Brent plays important roles within RWDI, sharing technical insights with various project teams and mentoring fellow scientists.
What is a Waste Disposal Site in Ontario? Any site that receives to, process, burn, or dispose of waste. Process: Receives waste and manages waste, such as a transfer station, a recycling facility, or a composting facility Burn: Burns waste, typically to create energy or heat (i.e. cement plants) Dispose: Permanent disposal of waste into or onto ground
How are Waste Disposal Sites Environmentally Regulated in Ontario? Primarily waste disposal sites are regulated by the below items, but there are additional regulations to consider too. ➢ Environmental Protection Act [EPA], in specific, Part V (Waste Management) ➢ Ontario Regulation 232/98: Landfilling Sites [O. Reg. 232/98], which was made under Part V of the EPA ➢ Waste Disposal Site Environmental Compliance Approvals [ECAs] (formerly referred to as Certificates of Approvals [CofAs]) – these are landfill site specific Other regulatory considerations are, but not limited to, Municipalities Act, Ministry of Labory, Conservation Authorities, First Nations, and etc.
What are the Environemental Legal Obligations for SWM? SWM is legally obligated to simultaneous comply to each of the below Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change [MOECC] regulatory items. ➢ The EPA ➢ O. Reg. 232/98 ➢ The relevant site specific ECAs for Trillium and Limerick LFs However, with refined ECAs, which post-date O. Reg 232/98, an Owner can have MOECC approved deviations from O. Reg. 232/98
Key Definitions Within the EPA “ operator ” means the person in occupation or having the charge, management, or control of a waste management system or a waste disposal site; (“ exploitant ”) “ owner ” includes, (a) a person that is responsible for the establishment or operation of a waste management system or waste disposal site, or (b) the person that owns the land in or on which a waste disposal site is located; (“ propriétaire ”)
Key Definitions Within the EPA cont’d “ waste disposal site ” means, (a) any land upon, into, in or through which, or building or structure in which, waste is deposited, disposed of, handled, stored, transferred, treated or processed, and (b) any operation carried out or machinery or equipment used in connection with the depositing, disposal, handling, storage, transfer, treatment or processing referred to in clause (a); (“lieu d’élimination des déchets ”) “ waste management system ” means any facilities or equipment used in, and any operations carried out for, the management of waste including the collection, handling, transportation, storage, processing or disposal of waste, and may include one or more waste disposal sites. (“ système de gestion des déchets ”) R.S.O. 1990, c. E.19, s. 25; 1992, c. 1, s. 25.
What are the Key Requirements per O. Reg 232/98 Under Part III of O. Reg 232/98: A person shall not establish a new landfilling site or increase the total waste disposal volume of an existing landfilling site unless: Sections 6 through 16 of O. Reg 232/98 are met, which represents 10 distinct topics to be reported on (could condense into to one succinct report), which are noted below. ➢ Design specifications (there are 30+ items to address) ➢ Buffer Area (land around waste detailed) ➢ Hydrogeological Assessment ➢ Surface Water Assessment ➢ Groundwater Protection (there are 30+ items to address) ➢ Leachate Disposal ➢ Leachate Contingency Plans ➢ Surface Water Control ➢ Subsurface Migration of Landfill Gas ➢ Atmospheric Emissions of Landfill Gas ➢ Operation and Maintenance Procedures
What Are the key Requirements per O. Reg 232/98 cont’d Other Parts, inclusive of Part III discussed, within O. Reg 232/98 that govern what is required of an owner/operator of a landfill. ❖ It is important to note, that an owner/operator is responsible for the landfill, inclusive of environmental monitoring/stewardship, for the entirety of its contaminating lifespan, even after the landfill is closed to the receipt of waste.
O. Reg 232/98
What are the Next Best Environmental Steps for SWM Referring earlier to: “ However, with refined ECAs, which post-date O. Reg 232/98, an Owner can have MOECC approved deviations from O. Reg. 232/98 ” ➢ Get Trillium and Limerick LFs in compliance with O. Reg. 232/98 ➢ Amend existing ECAs to have each landfill in compliance with relevant regulatory items, with MOECC approved deviations that are reasonable for the size and geologic conditions for each site. ➢ Trillium LF: MOECC approved ECA No. A041403, issued on July 3, 1980 for a 20.2 ha (50 ac) landfill {the site has operated since approximate 1974 with approvals of various earlier Governmental organizations no longer in existence}. ➢ Limerick LF: MOECC approved ECA No. A041902, issued on August 28, 1980 {the site has operated since approximate 1971 with approvals of various earlier Governmental organizations no longer in existence}.
What is the Main Environmental Concern From a Landfill Leachate, which is the infiltrated precipitation and groundwater into the waste mound that becomes contaminated with dissolved or suspended particles of waste.
What if Leachate is not Contained Leachate can migrate with the movement of groundwater, or seep through the landfill cap material and affect surface water.
How is Leachate Contained Simple to say: Comply with regulatory items (EPA, O. Reg 232/98, and ECAs). Not always simple (not low cost) to implement.
Trillium LF Aerial Photo
Trillium LF Aerial Photo
Trillium LF Waste Face Jul 5/17
Trillium LF Waste Face Jul 5/17
Trillium LF Waste Face Nov 14/17
Trillium LF Persistent Leachate Seep
Trillium LF Burning of Waste Jul 5/17 and Nov 14/17
Trillium LF Scrap Metal Pile Jul 5/17
Trillium LF Scrap Metal Pile Nov 14/17
Trillium LF Yard Waste Pile Nov. 14/17
Limerick LF Aerial Photo
Limerick LF Aerial Photo
Limerick LF Burn Pile Jul 13/17
Other Closed LFs Are there other closed LFs that SWM owns, but does not know of the environmental impacts, if any, to the natural resources on the titled land, or adjacent neigbour lands?
ANY QUESTIONS?
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