Energy generated by composting plant used to run plant

There are many interesting facts about the program and below are some of them, courtesy of Geoff Rathbone, City of Toronto, solid waste management services.

* Putting food scraps and other acceptable compostable items in the green bin is a major contributor to reaching 70 per cent diversion, saving valuable landfill space.

* Toronto's program was created to maximize convenience for residents, which included being able to use plastic bags and to compost other materials, such as diapers.

* It's OK to line either your green bin or indoor containers (not both) with a plastic bag to keep them cleaner and easier to transfer the contents from one to the other.

* Last year, the City of Toronto conducted an organics collection pilot in 30 multi-unit buildings across the city to determine the best way to bring an organics collection program to the 5,000 apartment, condominium and co-op customers.

* The participating buildings were successful in diverting organic materials from garbage and based on what was learned from the pilots, the city has now begun phasing in to buildings across Toronto.

* Near the end of 2011, final phase of the green bin program will extend to include city facilities such as daycares, school boards and eventually recreation centres and parks where there is high food generation.

* It takes about a year for food waste, wet paper waste and pet waste set out at curbside in green bins to undergo the transformation to becoming compost.

* The finished product from the digestate, or solid, and the yard waste is compost. Some of this compost comes back to the city and it's given away free to residents at environment days and compost give-a-way days. The remainder is marketed by composting contractors. The major markets are agricultural, sod farms and for the production of triple mix soil that you buy from garden centres. Triple mix is a mixture of equal parts topsoil, peat and compost.

* Compost is used as a valuable soil amendment material, which improves the fertility of soil and is safe to use on farms and parklands.

* For naysayers who think the machinery is so large and must use so much energy to operate, therefore ruining the good it does, the bio gas created from the process generates enough bio gas electricity to run the plant. In fact, it creates so much the City of Toronto soon hopes to run the trucks that collect the green bin, eliminating an entire garbage truck fleet from running on diesel.

* The City of Toronto is also planning to refine the bio gas at the plant and pump it back into Enbridge natural gas system so it can be taken out at regular natural gas pumping stations.

* Rathbone wouldn't give a cost to the program, but said it is significantly more expensive than other methods.