2024 Budget - Environmental Services

Environmental Services includes two sections or programs:

• Environmental Protection
• Waste Management

Environmental Protection operates and maintains a Class 4 Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), 13 sewage pumping stations, storm and sanitary sewer collection systems, an accredited laboratory, Centennial Fountain in Little Lake, as well as providing Water and Wastewater services to the Town of Millbrook through a contracted services agreement with Cavan Monaghan Township.

Waste Management includes the collection, processing and disposal programs/services for garbage, recyclables, green waste, large articles, hazardous waste, and electronic waste within the Municipal Operations Division. The department also manages the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility the Material Recycling Facility, the Household Hazardous Waste Depot, and the Composting programs.

2024 Budget overview

Highlights

Blue Box commodity values plummeted in early 2023 by almost 50%, bringing average prices down to $117 per tonne. On January 1st, 2024, private industry will assume responsibility for blue box collection from the residential sector. While the City will see savings in collection and processing for eligible properties, the City will also lose any revenue for blue box commodities. The Province of Ontario continues with efforts to transition recycling programs, targeting January 1st, 2024 implementation for the City, however, there remains much uncertainty. The 2024 budget includes decreased expenses and revenues in the Recycling Program as a result.

Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility

On July 1, 2002, the City and the County signed an agreement whereby the County became an equal partner in the ownership and operation of the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility (the Bensfort site). Under the terms of the ownership agreement with the County, all expenditures (operating and capital), and revenues are shared on a 50:50 basis.

Projected tipping fees for 2024 are budgeted at $5.5 million (2023 - $4.9 million), including a modernization of fees and increased revenue.

The County will contribute $2.8 million (2023 - $2.6 million) towards the gross costs of the landfill operation and receive approximately $2.9 million (2023 - $2.45 million) in revenues for an estimated net revenue to the County of $0.06 million (2023 - $0.15 cost).

The 2024 contribution to the Waste Management Reserve Fund is $870,000 (2023 - $750,000). In addition, the City will contribute $227,000 to a Landfill Closure and Post-Closure Reserve, the same as in 2023.

City waste diversion rate for 2022 was 52%. New, more challenging diversion opportunities continue to be investigated, including polystyrene, organics, reuse, bulky plastics, and textiles. The implementation of the updated Waste Management Master Plan strategy is expected to increase diversion in a number of ways. Diversion is expected to increase with the GROW Peterborough organics program implemented in late in 2023, and through the various other initiatives of the updated Waste Management Master Plan.

Source Separated Organics Program Implementation

The Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, proposes to mandate resource recovery of food and organic waste through a landfill ban forcing the implementation of an Organics Program in all Cities including Peterborough. The GROW Peterborough project will meet the ban of organics to landfill requirements. The diversion of organics from the landfill to a processing facility will extend the landfill life and create a valuable product. In September 2019, the City received a Federal Grant for 40% funding to support the costs of implementing an organics program and engineered compost facility.
In considering Report IPSES19-010, Council approved establishing a $15.3M project budget, including a pre-commitment of Capital funding of $1,700,000 in 2022 and $1,769,414 in 2023. The City has also received $6,110,586 from the Low Carbon Economy Fund (LCEF) for the project. With the escalation of construction material and labour costs recently, additional funding will be required in the 2024 budget to complete the initial construction costs.

Capital Budget highlights