Tunnel composting London (Ontario), Canada | Orgaworld
> Tunnel composting London (Ontario), Canada

Hard to process municipal waste easily taken care of...

We process organic waste for the City of Toronto and the Region ofYork and transform it into high-quality compost in the heart of the Canadian province of Ontario in the City of London. The waste primarily consists of 'difficult' to process kitchen waste, pet waste, diapers and sanitary products. This type of waste is difficult for residents to handle which is why they are allowed to put these materials in plastic bags. We are one of the few organic recycling companies in the world able to do this.We do this extremely efficiently!

Unique waste processing and odour abatement system

The organic waste we receive from the City of Toronto and the Region of York is different to the type of waste we receive at our other composting plants. It contains a higher percentage of kitchen waste and as a result, it contains more nitrogen. This means it releases more ammonia. We also receive this waste in plastic bags. This means that anaerobic (oxygen-free) processes occur quickly, especially during warm weather. This leads to the creation of odours that are different to those formed during an aerobic (oxygen-rich) transfer process. The composting process also differs.As a result, we needed to create a special tailor-made odour abatement system for the tunnel composting facility. The process consists of the following elements:

1. ammonia scrubbers: the process air stream passes through special scrubbers to remove the the ammonia from the air stream. This is done using a sulphuric acid solution and results in the production of ammonium sulfate that is subsequently sold as a high value, federally approved fertilizer;

2. cooling system: the process air stream is cooled and actively controlled and monitored to maintain a stable and optimal temperature entering the biofilters where thermal shocks can negatively affect the performance of resident microorganisms;

3. bioscrubber: the cooled air is continuously “washed” with clean water. This dramatically reduces the odors emitted;

4. bio-filters: the scrubbed, cooled and washed air travels through tunnels filled with moist hardwoods containing micro-organisms. These micro-organisms remove most of the remaining odors, leaving behind a woodsy “rest odour”;

5. stack: the treated air exiting the stack is diluted by using a special nozzle and is also mixed with fresh air, minimizing any remaining odors;

The odour abatement system is currently so refined that the facility emits odours as low as 0.01 odour units when measurements are calculated at the nearest sensitive receptor (want to find out more? Please visit view the video entitled Orgaworld London Odour Abatement).

All countries and locations are different

Are you looking for an optimally performing and sustainable facility? Then you will also know that a standard solution just isn't an option.. One of the reasons for this is that each country and location poses its own challenges when it comes to soil type, climate, legislation and composition of the waste to be processed. We perform a full analysis and carry out a full situational assessment in collaboration with local specialists. This enables us to properly respond to varying local factors and conditions and determine exactly what construction methods need to be implemented to achieve successful project completion. This leads to the design of a plant that yields exceptional results! Our facilities in Ontario are a great example of this approach.

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