Town of Perth Solid Waste Solutions

The Perth Landfill, located at the southern boundary of the Town of Perth, has been in operation since 1968 and serves the Town’s nearly 6,000 residents as well as local industries, businesses, and institutions. The landfill has been upgraded over time to include a scale system and public drop-off area, and Burnside helped add a residential composting facility that accepts organics, leaf, and yard waste for windrow composting.

The Town found itself in a difficult position. They had exceeded the approved capacity of their landfill site, yet there were few other disposal opportunities for their solid waste. Our staff’s work allowed the Town to successfully negotiate a palatable solution for both short and long terms disposal with the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), and our work has allowed the Town to expand and continue operating their existing landfill site in an environmentally responsible manner.

We have completed a number of assignments pertaining to the Town’s solid waste management infrastructure, including:

Assignment 1 – Composting Facility and Landfill Capacity Assessment

• Developed design and operations plan for composting facility
• Determined existing and approved landfill capacity

Assignment 2 – Interim Disposal Capacity Approval

• Prepared interim design and operations plan
• Negotiated ECA conditions for implementation
• Prepared operations and training manual

Assignment 3 – Long Term Waste Disposal Environmental Assessment

• Prepared focused, then revised Terms of Reference for a Solid Waste EA
• Prepared Environmental Screening Report

Assignment 4 – Environmental Compliance Approvals

• Prepared Environmental Protection Act and Ontario Water Resources Act Application
• Prepared design and operations report
• Prepared environmental monitoring and contingency plan
• Prepared endangered species benefit permit (draft) and supporting documents
• Negotiated ECA approvals with MECP

Assignment 5 – Detailed Design for Construction

• Prepared design drawings, selected equipment and provided specifications for:
  • Landfill expansion footprint, including liner and leachate collection system
  • Forcemains to transfer leachate to the Town’s wastewater treatment lagoons
  • Remedial groundwater protection systems, including upgrades to allow operation in winter
  • Ecological protection of Grey Ratsnake and Blanding’s Turtles (endangered species)
• Provided engineering assistance during construction, including shop drawing review
• Completed ECA amendment for use of geosynthetic clay liner

Assignment 6 – Environmental Compliance Monitoring and Annual Reporting

• Completed spring and fall groundwater, surface water, and landfill gas (methane) monitoring program
• Completed operational site inspections
• Completed topographic survey and volumetric calculations
• Completed annual monitoring reporting (submitted to Ministry)