|
Located at Exit 3 off Highway 103
Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Drop off area only
*No Commercial Waste Permitted on Sunday (RESIDENTIAL ONLY).
Fees:
- Material weighing up to 100 kg (220 lbs) is charged $5.00.
- Material weighing 100 kg or more is charged $125 per tonne
- Rates are subject to change.
- CASH only for public drop off. A $20 deposit may be required until your vehicle has been weighed out after dropping material off.
Acceptance of waste materials at the Otter Lake Facility is subject to the disposal requirements of the Nova Scotia Department of Environment & Labour.
All loads arriving at the Otter Lake Facility are subject to inspection for unacceptable content and the acceptance standards of the Municipality.
The following materials have been deemed
unacceptable for disposal at the Otter Lake Facility:
Waste materials incompatible
with operation of the facility
including, but not limited to:
- Liquid Wastes or Sludges
- Explosives or Flammables
- Dangerous / Hazardous Goods
- Radioactive Materials
- Asbestos
- Animal Carcasses
- Biomedical or Infectious Wastes
- International Wastes
- Construction, Demolition & Renovation Debris
- Wastes which produce a toxic leachate
- Unapproved Special Wastes
|
Provincially Banned Materials:
- Redeemed beverage containers
- Corrugated cardboard
- Newsprint
- Used tires
- Automotive lead-acid batteries
- Leaf and yard waste
- Post-consumer paint products
- Ethylene glycol (automotive antifreeze)
- Steel/tin food containers
- Glass food containers
- #2 HDPE non-hazardous containers
- Low density polyethylene bags and packaging
- Compostable organic material
- Televisions
- Computers
- Laptops and notebooks
- CPUs
- Monitors
- Printers
- Cables, mice, keyboards and other components within the computer
- Audio and video playback and recording systems:
- personal/portable audio/video systems, radios, speakers, CD players, MP3 players, stereos
- digital cameras, video cameras and camcorders
- VCR's, DVD players
- clock radios
- car stereo systems
- home theatre in a box
- Telephones (corded and cordless), fax and answering machines
- Computer Scanners
- Cell Phones and other wireless devices
|
Background
The Otter Lake Facility opened for full operations in 1999 to replace the closed Sackville Landfill.
The site is 200 acres and employs up to100 people.
The facility uses some of the most advance technology for processing and disposing of waste material, making HRM a true world leader in environmental protection.
Front End Processor (FEP)
The FEP facility is where garbage arrives and bags are opened and inspected. It consists of a system of conveyors, bag breaker, sorting platforms and mechanical screening operations.
The FEP allows for identification and removal of material that should not be going to landfill.
Clean recyclable paper, metals and containers are removed during the sorting process. However, the majority is disposed due to contamination.
Scrap metal (ie appliances) is separated for recycling.
Waste Stabilization Facility (WSF)
Screened material from the FEP is transferred to the WSF where it moves by agitator in channels to be decomposed in 18 to 21 days.
The material left at the end of this process is a dryer like fluff which then goes to the landfill. This process lessens the amount of leachate produced by material in the cell, and as there is no food residue it doesn't attract vectors (ie birds).
Residual Disposal Facility (RDF)
The RDF is the actual landfill portion of the site. Each "cell" is extensively lined with clay and geotextile (plastic) double liner and a leachate collection system.
Each of these cells costs about $15 million to build and only take 3 years to fill.
All leachate generated at the site is collected and treated.
Diversion from Landfill
The processing/stabilizing of waste comes at a cost, however it is done for the protections of the local community and the environment.
Recycling and composting programs maximize recovery of resources and positively impacts our environment.
Mixed waste in landfills generates about 38% of Canada's total methane (a greenhouse gas) emissions. Diverting organics from landfill can have a significant impact on climate change.
|
