WESTLOCK – Westlock-area based composting company AltRoot has partnered with the Canadian Wood Waste Recycling Business Group (CWWRBG) to help highlight the importance of wood waste recycling, a message was shared at a live, wood-waste recycling equipment demonstration Sept. 7 at the AltRoot composting site at the Westlock Reginal Landfill.
Brian Wonnacott and Colby Hansen of AltRoot welcomed visitors from
municipalities across Alberta, including government commissioners and landfill managers, who stopped at the landfill as part of a three-day Alberta Care Conference and partake in the event, coordinated by the CWWRBG.
“They are here today to see how waste wood materials are processed,” said Canadian Wood Waste Recycling Business Group CEO, Jim Donaldson, noting that all wood waste in Canada, from pallets, to sawdust and shavings, swamp pads and branches are all recyclable.
“Our biggest obstacle is the governance of people not understanding the reuse properties and the values. It takes education and examples like today, what we’re doing here with Westlock County, in partnership with our members AltRoot, RBS Heavy Machinery and Edge Equipment and others. This is a closed loop sustainable wood recycling process — government people need to educate themselves and conduct a feasibility study. It’s a two-to-three-month study and they could be up and running and diverting all wood waste from landfill and non-essential burning.”
CWWRBG is a for-profit business made up of global environmental stewardship leaders, businesses, institutional partnerships, and governments at all levels, in support of building their respective business activities in the emerging Canadian wood recycling industry.
Event participants included Edge Equipment Ltd (a dealer for Bandit Industries Inc.) AltRoot, and RBS Heavy Machinery, the latter which is “accessing and recycling road and access mats, turning the wood waste into compost feed stock,” noted Donaldson.
During the demo, visitors witnessed wood wasted that was processed into wood chips by slow and high-speed grinders, which also pull out all metals from the wood waste. The resulting wood chips are mixed in with compost to make a product for residential and commercial use, for both farmers and residents, as a natural organic fertilizer to help enrich soils.
“Currently a lot of materials are being landfilled, taking up valuable landfill space in the cells,” said RBS heavy machinery director Ivor Austin. “The cost of building cells is getting more and more excessive so by finding ways to turn that material into a product for reuse and getting economically viable, this is a very important step for Canadian recycling throughout Canada. “
The equipment used in the demo was a unique design and cable of handling and grinding several waste streams, noted Austin, including concrete, asphalt, light metals, mattresses, window blades, rubber, paper, trees, cardboard.
“I like the reuse market and I also like that it’s a fertilizer because fertilizer prices are getting high,” said Edge Equipment Ltd. vice-president Sterling Nordin. “(Prime Minister) Trudeau’s cutting down the (amount of) fertilizer. I think there’s all-round good as long as you can get the people to buy into it.”
This was the first event they have hosted. Donaldson said there are plans to return to Westlock in partnership with CWWRBG members and others early next spring to conduct another workshop and recycling demonstration.
Donaldson had high praises for AltRoot and the work they do locally.
“Right now, in Alberta this is the largest free standing wood recycling facility of its kind, compost facility-wise,” explained Donaldson, noting the important role AltRoot has undertaken in the compost and recycling arena.
“They’re a true stewardship leader in setting examples of how to recycle and accept, in a low tipping fee, wood waste and from there processing into two to three reuse markets,” said Donaldson. “They’re true leaders in the wood recycling, composting industry in Alberta and Canada.”
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