Edmonton Composting Facility update
May 29, 2019

Changes to the structural issues at the Edmonton Composting Facility have led to the decision to immediately cease operations and close the facility.

In 2017, structural issues were identified at the ECF. City of Edmonton Waste Services implemented several mitigation and risk management activities to continue use of the facility in a safe manner. Operations at the ECF have since been conditional, based on regular assessments of the safety of the facility.

In Spring 2019, an additional investigation of the facility indicated that conditions in the facility have deteriorated, and concluded that it is no longer safe to continue to operate the facility. 

“The safety of all employees and everyone on-site at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre is the number one priority, so, given this conclusion, Waste Services will begin the process of shutting down and decommissioning the facility,” said Michael Labrecque, Branch Manager, Waste Services. “Transitioning to the Anaerobic Digestion Facility has been the City’s plan for the future and now these plans will be expedited.”

In the near term, organics processing capacity will be partially directed to the Anaerobic Digestion Facility, which is undergoing commissioning processes that will continue into the third quarter of 2019. Without access to the ECF, the City’s overall organics processing capacity will be reduced immediately.

Edmonton Waste Services is planning an additional Organics Processing Facility aimed at providing a long-term substitute for the ECF. The need to replace the ECF is factored into forthcoming reports on the 2020 - 2023 Business Plan and 25 Year Waste Strategy Update being presented to City Council in late June.
For more information:

Media contact:  
Senior Communications Advisor
780-940-0333