For Environment Week, recognized in Canada from May 31 to June 6, the city is offering a behind-the-scenes look at the work done at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. “What you’ll see is how we take that waste and we process it into useful materials, so that it can be used for items,” explained Neil Burkard, a waste educator who has been delivering tours for more than 15 years. “Keeping materials out of the landfill is really important. Why? If we put natural materials in, like food scraps, and we have items like grass or trees or tree branches, they will decompose within the confines of the landfill as methane gas, and then that can be vented into the atmosphere. That’s not really good for the environment.” Participants will be shown the integrated processing and transfer facility – nicknamed “Garbageland” – where some household garbage is sorted. Some of the trash is made into refuse-derived fuel – also known as “garbage fluff – which is converted into energy by other partners. Tours also go inside the materials recovery facility, another sorting facility, and Edmonton’s electronic waste processing facility. “Recycling works well, but we have to recycle well,” Burkard told CTV News Edmonton, recalling a knife and smoke detector that were found earlier in the week, and pointing to the fire hazard of batteries. “That’s one of the most important parts of the tour. When people see this with their very own eyes, it really underscores the importance of their choice.” Tours are free and about two hours long. Participants can either drive to and park at the facility in northeast Edmonton, or be picked up by city transportation at the Clareview Transit Station. Sign up online is required. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Klippenstein
