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TORONTO/CNW/ - Waterfront Toronto today unveiled detailed plans
for a soil recycling pilot facility in the Port Lands. This will
be the only known soil washing-based pilot plant currently
operating in Canada.
Waterfront Toronto is conducting a soil recycling pilot as part
of its Soils Management Strategy to determine the viability of
treating and reusing impacted soils as an alternative to the
dig-and-dump approach.
The pilot facility is strategically located in the Port Lands to
be able to treat soils near their source, divert soils from
landfill, and provide Waterfront Toronto with a source of
treated soil that can be used in revitalization projects.
Remediation efforts within the waterfront include the excavation
and removal of contaminated soil, which is expected to generate
in excess of two-million cubic metres of impacted soil. Soil
treatment, remediation, and reuse will prevent the excavated
soil from being transported and disposed of in landfill.
The pilot will process up to 50,000 cubic metres of soils in the
pilot phase of operation employing the newest and best
technologies available to treat contaminated soils. The pilot
proponents, DEC and Tetra Tech, will use soil washing,
complemented by field trials of a number of other cutting-edge
technologies. Soil-washing is a technology that has been
successfully used to promote the recycling of soils in several
other countries.
The pilot allows Waterfront Toronto to better assess the
environmental, economic and operational viability of treating
and reusing soils before committing to a full-scale recycling
facility. The goals of the pilot are to identify a range of
treatment options and costs of remediating soil; confirm that
impacted soil can be treated to an environmental condition that
allows it to be reused in revitalization projects for
residential, parkland and commercial projects; and showcase
treatment technologies that will benefit brownfield remediation.
“We have been presented with a unique opportunity to help bring
Ontario to the leading edge of Brownfield remediation using
sustainability and technology,” said John Campbell, President
and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “By using state-of-the-art
technologies and processes not currently used in Canada, we have
the opportunity to turn contaminated soils into a resource
instead of a liability. This facility has the potential to
change the way impacted soils are treated on the waterfront and
possibly across Canada.”
Creating sustainable communities is a fundamental objective for
Waterfront Toronto. In addition to requiring LEED(R) Gold
certification as the standard on all new buildings, Waterfront
Toronto is employing innovation and technology to advance
standards in brownfield remediation. By employing global best
practices and made-in-Toronto solutions, the city’s new
waterfront communities will protect and enhance our natural
environment, and will ultimately be recognized as global models
for sustainability.
Waterfront Toronto’s sustainable development approach is guided
by a comprehensive Sustainability Framework, which serves as a
roadmap to ensure that sustainability principles are woven into
every facet of operations and decision making.
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