Lac La Biche County is taking the first steps towards building a regional waste conversion facility. It has earmarked $2 million in its 2018 capital budget to start looking into it, provided the County can find grants and partners.
It’s expected the full cost of the project would be $35 million, of which up to 75 per cent could be covered by government grants. Allocating the initial funds is necessary for grant applications.
If built, the facility would convert organic waste into clean water, power, heat and compost. Mayor Omer Moghrabi says it would be able to eliminate waste from landfills, which would help the County in its efforts to divert more waste.
“The waste conversion facility will show that the County is a leader in setting environmental standards. It will also give us the ability to help our neighbours discard of organic waste in better ways.”
The facility would also be able to accept waste from neighbouring communities, which would bring down their disposal costs. In turn, it would give the county more sources of energy and farming material.