The Government of Canada recently announced $2.7 million from the Low Carbon Economy Fund to support a project that converts food waste into renewable energy in Petawawa.
The Town of Petawawa will upgrade its digesters to divert food waste from landfills by turning it into clean energy. The Town is also contributing $2.7 million, and the total funding will increase the production of biogas and help process more organic waste to generate electricity and supply energy to the plant.
Over the lifetime of this project, the Town will see a cumulative reduction of about 300,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions—equivalent to taking approximately 92,000 cars off the road for one year. It will also divert 280,000 tonnes of food waste from landfill over the next 10 years.
“The Town of Petawawa is committed to leading by example on climate change by transitioning the delivery of essential services in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions generated from our own biogas produced through wastewater operations,” said Petawawa Mayor Bob Sweet.
“Upgrading anaerobic digester technology at the wastewater treatment plant from a traditional to resource-recovery process supports a clean economy focused on renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. This net-zero initiative promotes environmental sustainability through food waste diversion from landfills and the optimization of existing municipal facilities.”
Federal funding for this project comes from the Champion stream of the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Challenge, which invests in projects that reduce carbon pollution, save money, and create good jobs.
The Town of Petawawa project will divert an estimated 280,000 tonnes of food waste from landfills over 10 years, with the potential to continue to reduce emissions and divert waste in subsequent years. The food waste diversion will have a direct impact on the effective lifetime of existing landfills, diminishing the need for new landfill sites.