Local investors eager to build recycling, yard waste, and green energy solution in Coaldale
The Town of Coaldale and 2Point0 Ltd. are in the process of finalizing a deal that will bring recycling services to Coaldale’s industrial park.
Like any other municipality, solid waste services are a key component of Coaldale’s overall service to its citizens and businesses. Right now, after solid waste is collected, Coaldale depends on other municipalities to process the waste from all three streams; with waste from black bins (garbage) and blue bins (recycling) headed to Lethbridge and green bins (compost) delivered to the GFL site in Taber.
“This shift away from our traditional service and towards an innovative partnership with 2Point0 is the first of its kind in Alberta,” said Cam Mills, Manager of Economic Development at the Town of Coaldale. “Working with a locally owned, innovative company allows us to get more services for Coaldale residents while also reducing operating costs. What’s more, the project will allow the Town to tap into a new source of clean and reliable renewable energy produced right here in our industrial park.”
One of the most exciting parts of this project is the capacity for environmentally-friendly power options for nearby industrial sites and Town facilities.
“2Point0 is exploring significant on-site green energy options using technology more commonly seen in parts of the United States,” said Mills. “This will allow the company to power their own facility but also sell surplus energy back to the Town at a reduced rate, in addition to providing a green option for other users in the vicinity, which could potentially be a major win for both the Town and existing local businesses.”
2point0 CEO Dr. Sean Hantke, resident of Coaldale, is excited to be pioneering this solution.
“2Point0 is a new model for waste, extracting energy and value out of waste rather than having it go to landfill,” said Hantke. “I have always had a passion for innovation; our Green Initiative drives our decision making. We believe there is an opportunity here to change the way waste is handled.”
In addition to the proposed recycling plant, 2Point0 Ltd. will also be building a permanent yard-waste disposal site. This means that the Town no longer needs to set up a temporary site in the parking lot of the Coaldale arena, resulting in lower costs for the Town’s operations budget and an expanded level of service for Coaldale citizens who can access a fully staffed yard waste site year-round.
“Other municipalities like Lethbridge own and operate their own recycling and yard waste facilities, which requires a significant capital investment,” said Mills. “With this new partnership, the Town doesn’t have any up-front capital costs, and what’s more, our long-term operating costs for tipping material at the site will be significantly reduced compared to what we are paying now.”
“We’ve been exploring opportunities to get a facility like this set up for some time; we identified Coaldale early on as an ideal location for our business,” said Tyler Beaulieu, Technical Lead for 2Point0 Ltd. “Our business model will combine a number of different existing technologies to utilize recycling, construction demolition and organic waste streams to develop low-carbon fuels for a variety of clients throughout western Canada. We’ve been working closely with members of Coaldale’s administrative team to get this project up and running; they’ve been a terrific asset for our business and we’re very excited about working with the Town for years to come.”
“I am really excited to be part of this revolutionary business! After months and months of working on this closely with Tyler and Sean and to see it start to materialize is something special,” said Chad Novak, Vice President of Sales for 2Point0 Ltd. “I am looking forward to working with the southern Alberta haulers and local business to keep the business streams moving forward as well as keeping costs down for the residents of Coaldale.”
“We’re looking forward to beginning construction and demonstrating a new way of approaching waste management,” said Beaulieu. “Our Green Initiative will allow Coaldale and other municipalities and companies in the region to take the next step toward modernizing their approach to waste management by diverting recyclable material out of landfills and instead turning them into a viable low carbon fuel source.”