GROW Peterborough
The City is implementing a city-wide organic waste collection and composting program, GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) Peterborough, with support from the federal government's Low Carbon Economy Fund. The program is expected to launch in fall 2023 after consultation, getting the necessary approvals, designing and building the centralized composting facility, acquiring the collection equipment including containers, trucks, and rolling out city-wide collection.
The federal government is contributing $6.1 million toward the $15.3-million project.
A city-wide organic waste collection and processing program will help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act, which aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfills with an expected ban on landfilling organics by 2030.
Organic material makes up about 40% of residential waste in Canada. At full capacity, our GROW centralized composting facility could be designed to accept up to 40,000 tonnes of organic material per year from the City and County of Peterborough.
Environmental benefits - Climate action
Organics produce methane gas as they're decomposing in an uncontrolled method in a landfill - a greenhouse gas that's 10 times more damaging than carbon dioxide.
By reducing methane gas production at the landfill through diverting organic material for composting, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 1,943 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2030 and by a total of 79,305 tonnes between 2023 and 2050.
Another environmental benefit from the composting program is the material that's produced from composting is nutrient rich material that is re-introduced to the earth. Using composted material improves soil, reduces the need for pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizer.
Design and technology
For the composting facility, the City is planning to use a Gore system, which is a proven, engineered system that uses an aerobic process to minimize methane gas production and mitigate odour related to organic waste. Diverting organic waste from the landfill to a composting facility brings the organic materials into a controlled space with aeration fans, temperature monitoring, and a system to cover the material and capture water runoff.
Notice of Application: September 8, 2022
The City of Peterborough has submitted an application to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) to amend the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) for the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility to permit the construction, use and operation of a Waste Disposal Site (Processing) operation, known as the Peterborough Organics Facility.
| Read the full Notice of Application |
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The City plans to implement a City-wide organic waste collection and composting program: GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) Peterborough, with support from the federal government's Low Carbon Economy Fund. The Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility encompasses 158 hectares, and is located at 1260 Bensfort Rd., Part Lots 14 & 15, Concession 13 and Part Lots 13, 14, & 15, Concession 14, Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, County of Peterborough, on lands jointly owned by the City and County of Peterborough. The Peterborough Organics Facility will be owned and operated by the City and located on a 13.45 ha property in the northern portion of the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility lands, at 1923 Base Line, southern half of Lot 16, Concession 14 of the Otonabee Ward, within the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, County of Peterborough. The Peterborough Organics Facility will accept, and process leaf & yard waste and source separated organic material from the City and County of Peterborough, and will be developed in a phased manner, including the potential to eventually accept materials from other municipalities in Ontario. The Peterborough Organics Facility will not be open to the public; only collection vehicles will be allowed access. Aligning with the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility, the Peterborough Organics Facility will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for 302 days annually (Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays), and receive organic waste for 250 days annually (Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays). The following supporting materials were submitted with ECA application:
Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to be sent a digital copy of the materials by emailing GROW@peterborough.ca. |
Project timeline
The city-wide organic waste collection and centralized composting facility is expected to begin service in the fall of 2023.
- September 2019 to August 2022 – Permitting and approvals (e.g. environmental compliance approval, preliminary design, and consultation).
- September 2022 to December 2023 – Acquiring and mobilizing collection vehicles and household collection equipment. Promoting the start of the program, education, and support.
- March 2022 to October 2023 – Detailed design (e.g. civil, electrical, structural, and mechanical design specifications for the facility). Issue tender to get contractor quotes for the construction of the facility.
- September 2022 to October 2023 – Construction of facility, commissioning of composting system, launch of household organic waste collection and processing program.
Documents and resources
| Staff reports to City Council - 2019 |
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Consultation
Four Public Information Centres (PIC) will provide information and updates on this project. In each section below, you will find the Project Notices for each PIC and all information that was presented at the meeting.
A Public Information Centre on the Peterborough organics processing facility was held on Thursday, April 20, 2023 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Stewart Hall Community Centre, located at 1490 Matchett Line, in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township. It was the fourth and final Public Information Centre (PIC) about the project.
| Notice of Public Information Centre issued April 13, 2023 |
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A Public Information Centre on the Peterborough organics processing facility will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2023 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Stewart Hall Community Centre, located at 1490 Matchett Line, in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township. It will be the fourth and final Public Information Centre (PIC) about the project. The PIC will provide the opportunity to introduce attendees to the City’s contractor that will build the organics processing facility, and the facility operator. Information shared at the meeting will be about the planned organics processing facility. For information about the Green Bin (household organics) collection program for City of Peterborough residents, please visit peterborough.ca/ReduceWaste. The organics facility will be located next to the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township on land jointly owned by the City and County of Peterborough. Information presented at the meeting will also be available on the City’s website at peterborough.ca/GROW. Anyone who is not able to attend the meeting will be able to review the updated information and provide feedback to the project team at GROW@peterborough.ca. The City of Peterborough expects to launch a City-wide organic waste collection and composting program, GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) Peterborough, in the fall of 2023 to help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act, which aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfill. The federal government is contributing $6.1 million through its Low Carbon Economy Fund toward the $15.3-million project over a four-year period, ending March 31, 2024. As part of the GROW Peterborough program, the City proposes to develop a facility to accept and process leaf and yard waste and source separated organic materials. |
Past consultation meetings
Public Information Centre #3: January 26, 2023
| Notice of Public Information Centre issued January 9, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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News release issued on Monday, January 9, 2023. A Public Information Centre on the proposed Peterborough organics facility will be held on Thursday, January 26, 2023 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Gold Room of the Otonabee-South Monaghan Memorial Centre, 24 Fourth St., Keene. It will be the third of four planned Public Information Centres about this project. The proposed organics facility will be next to the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township on land jointly owned by the City and County of Peterborough. Information presented at the meeting will also be available on the City’s website. Anyone who is not able to attend the meeting will be able to review the updated information and provide feedback to the project team at GROW@peterborough.ca. The City of Peterborough expects to launch a City-wide organic waste collection and composting program, GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) Peterborough, in the fall of 2023 to help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act, which aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfill. The federal government is contributing $6.1 million toward the $15.3-million project over a four-year period, ending March 31, 2024. As part of the GROW Peterborough program, the City proposes to develop a facility to accept and process leaf and yard waste and source separated organic materials. |
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Final screening identified and concluded that 1923 Base Line was the preferred location evaluated based on:
Stakeholder virtual update meeting: June 16, 2022
On Thursday, June 16, 2022 we held a virtual meeting about the proposed Peterborough organics facility. The meeting provided an update on the progress of this project, including information on permits and approvals, as well as sharing the most recent details on the proposed development, construction and commissioning schedule.
View the presentation from the June 16 update meeting
Public Information Centre: February 24, 2021
Project Overview - updated February 2021
| Project Notice: February 17, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The City of Peterborough expects to launch a City-wide organic waste collection and composting program, GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) Peterborough, in the fall of 2023. The program to help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act, which aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfills with an expected ban on landfilling organics in 2023. The federal government is contributing $6.1 million toward the $15.3-million project over a four-year period, ending March 31, 2024. As part of the GROW Peterborough program, the City proposes to develop a facility to accept and process leaf and yard waste and source separated organic materials. The facility will be operated by the City and located adjacent to the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility, within the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan on lands owned by the City. The City has selected the GORE® System, including the GORE® Cover and ancillary equipment. The GORE® System is the most widely distributed composting system in the world with over 200 facilities located in more than 20 countries. This proven technology is accepted by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and used at several sites in Ontario. Members of the public, agencies, Indigenous communities and other interested persons are encouraged to actively participate in the project by attending consultation opportunities or by contacting the City directly with comments or questions. Consultation opportunities are planned throughout the project and will be advertised in local newspapers, on the City’s project website https://www.peterborough.ca/grow and by direct and/or electronic mail. The second of four Public Information Centres (PIC) will take place on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Otonabee-South Monaghan Memorial Community Centre, Gold Room located at 24 Fourth St., Keene, Ontario. The PIC will provide an opportunity for interested persons to learn about the project, required permits and approvals, as well as the expected development, construction and commissioning schedule. If you would like to be added to the project mailing list or have project-related questions, please send your inquiry to: GROW Peterborough City of Peterborough Email: GROW@peterborough.ca All personal information included in a submission, such as name, address, telephone number and property location, is collected, maintained and disclosed by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for the purposes of transparency and consultation. The information is collected and maintained for the purpose of creating a record that is available to the general public as described in s.37 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Personal information you submit will become part of the public record that is available to the general public unless you request that your personal information remain confidential. For more information, please contact the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ Freedom of Information and Privacy Coordinator at 416-327-1434. |
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Public Information Centre: November 4, 2020
Project Overview - November 4, 2020
| Project Notice: October 22, 2020 | ||||||
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The City of Peterborough expects to launch a City-wide organic waste collection and composting program, GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) Peterborough, in the fall of 2023. The program to help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act, which aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfills with an expected ban on landfilling organics in 2023. The federal government is contributing $6.1 million toward the $15.3-million project over a four-year period, ending March 31, 2024. As part of the GROW Peterborough program, the City proposes to develop a facility to accept and process leaf and yard waste and source separated organic materials. The facility will be operated by the City and located adjacent to the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility, within the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan on lands owned by the City. The City has selected the GORE® System, including the GORE® Cover and ancillary equipment. The GORE® System is the most widely distributed composting system in the world with over 200 facilities located in more than 20 countries. This proven technology is accepted by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and used at several sites in Ontario. Members of the public, agencies, Indigenous communities and other interested persons are encouraged to actively participate in the project by attending consultation opportunities or by contacting the City directly with comments or questions. Consultation opportunities are planned throughout the project and will be advertised in local newspapers, on the City’s project website https://www.peterborough.ca/grow and by direct and/or electronic mail. The second of four Public Information Centres (PIC) will take place on November 4, 2020 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Otonabee-South Monaghan Memorial Community Centre, Gold Room located at 24 Fourth St., Keene, Ontario. The PIC will provide an opportunity for interested persons to learn about the project, required permits and approvals, as well as the expected development, construction and commissioning schedule. If you would like to be added to the project mailing list or have project-related questions, please send your inquiry to: GROW Peterborough City of Peterborough Email: GROW@peterborough.ca All personal information included in a submission, such as name, address, telephone number and property location, is collected, maintained and disclosed by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for the purposes of transparency and consultation. The information is collected and maintained for the purpose of creating a record that is available to the general public as described in s.37 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Personal information you submit will become part of the public record that is available to the general public unless you request that your personal information remain confidential. For more information, please contact the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ Freedom of Information and Privacy Coordinator at 416-327-1434. |
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