Nova Scotia amends rules to allow waste-to-energy projects

The province announced yesterday it has amended its solid waste regulations to allow thermal treatment facilities to turn plastic, cardboard and newsprint into energy. The changes clarify that the province considers energy recovery as waste diversion.

All waste-to-energy facilities will require an environmental assessment and industrial approvals before going ahead.

A waste audit in 2017 by Divert Nova Scotia found 43 per cent of the garbage being sent to landfills is banned material that could have been composted or recycled.

According to the province’s news release, recyclable materials will still be banned from landfills.

“Nova Scotians are national leaders in waste diversion, but there is still more we can do to keep waste out of our landfills,” Environment Minister Margaret Miller said in a news release. “We want Nova Scotians to continue to recycle and compost, but we also need to ensure we’re doing all we can to reduce our footprint. This will give new businesses the chance to create something useful from waste destined for landfills.”

In 2017, Halifax-based Sustane Technologies Inc., received government funding for a demonstration plant in Chester, N.S., that will turn waste into high-value fuels.

Ecology Action Centre’s Mark Butler told The Canadian Press he’s disappointed by the province’s move to allow waste-to-energy projects.

“In the waste hierarchy, energy recovery or waste-to-energy is just one above landfilling,” he said. “We’d much rather see an emphasis on reduction, recycling and reuse rather then energy recovery – or as some have called this, glorified incineration.”

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