Composter to reopen for summer despite the sagging roof

Edmonton’s beleaguered composter will reopen for the summer months despite a sagging roof that no longer allows rain or snow to drain properly.

That means at least part of Edmonton’s waste can be composted rather than sent to a landfill in Ryley.

As well, a new high-tech composter is just starting up and should be running at full capacity by fall, city officials told council’s utility committee Monday.

The new $40-million composter can handle roughly half of the waste Edmonton produces during the winter, when the old composter must be shuttered again because the risk of collapse from a heavy snow load is higher. The rest will go to a landfill. City officials will inspect the building monthly for safety while it operates.

“We have to consider ourselves lucky that we have it for this summer,” said committee chairman Coun. Ben Henderson, pushing officials to work quickly on a replacement design. “Limping along for another two years with it might not be the best call.”

Officials could find no costeffective way to strengthen or rebuild the facility. The problem caught politicians by surprise. It was built in the 1990s and aged faster than expected, likely because of the humid, warm, acidic air generated inside.

Mayor Don Iveson said a new facility could be expensive, but it will hopefully come with lower operating costs than the old facility.

The roof issue is likely the result of design flaws in the composter’s original construction, but it’s too late to pursue legal action on that, Iveson said.

Officials are reviewing work done on the building since then to determine if that played a role.

Committee members also received an in-private update on the city’s handling of this file.

Mike Labrecque, branch manager for waste management, said the city did a 3-D scan of the entire building before deciding it could be used for the summer.

His team now knows exactly where the water will pool on the roof and it will be drained through the interior during the summer months, he said.

City officials are waiting for council to decide how much capacity a replacement composter will need.

That depends on whether council decides to ban grass clippings and yard waste from the regular waste stream, picking it up as a separate collection or encouraging homeowners to compost it on site.

Council’s utility committee will debate that again in June. The earliest Edmonton residents could see a change is this fall. Committee is scheduled to review a business case and technology options for a replacement composter in October.