Written Pinal Patel Staff Writer
Introduction
Canada has a poor record on waste management according to a Conference Board of Canada report – ranking 17 out of 17 in an international ranking of OECD countries.
On average, Canadians produce over 34 million tonnes of wastes annually and three quarters of that ends up in landfills or incinerators. In 2010 million tonnes of non-hazardous residential and non-residential waste was sent to disposal. From 2002 to 2016, the total amount of solid waste collected in Canada increased by 3.5 million tonnes (or 11%) The amount of waste disposed in landfills or incinerated increased by 0.9 million tonnes (or 4%) to reach 24.9 million tonnes in 2016.
Unfortunately, the volume waste is growing, and along with it are the costs of managing the environmental impacts. That is why new approaches to deal with waste management in Canada are urgently required.
There are several Canadian-based companies that have develop innovative technologies for the management of waste. In this article, three are highlighted.
Technology 1 Devulcanization of Rubber
New Rubber Technology (NRT)
The reuse of rubber in many purposes like break it into pieces as filling material, shock absorbers, bowling balls, etc.
New Rubber Technologies (NRT) has developed a process of devulcanization and reformulation of rubber tires. From the resulting product, the company can make innovative and unique rubber materials, compounds, and the production of and OEM-manufactured goods.
The company is in Tilbury, Ontario, approximately 300 km southwest of Toronto.
NRT enables the introduction or increase of recycled & reformulated rubber compounds into applications currently containing Virgin Rubber.
NRT utilizes the End-of-Life Tire stream and other rubber waste streams as our primary material feed stocks. NRT uses a Proprietary and Patented Process to devulcanize waste rubber to produce devulcanized rubber particulate (DRP). NRT utilizes DRP to produce Specially engineered rubber formulations and innovative reformulated rubber compounds with specific technical parameters to replace both existing custom-mix and off-the shelf rubber compounds.
NRT is currently looking to expand its operations and increase its product offerings L-shaped edge border, patio pavers, rubber curb boarder, hexagonal pavers, steppingstone, splash block, drainage anti-fatigue mat, speciality engineered compound etc.
Technology 2
Recycle Electronics at ecoATM Gazelle Kiosks
ecoATM is an e-waste recycling company headquartered in California founded in Aug 2008. The company has developed ecoATM kiosks that have the ability to evaluate, and purchase used electronics from consumers for cash or store credit. ecoATM uses 32 technology products and services including HTML5, Google Analytics, and jQuery, according to G2 Stack.
ecoATM offers instant payment for old electronic devices. This smart waste collection system is a convenient option for managing e-waste, helping divert smartphones and tablets from landfills.
A person with an end-of-life cell phone or computer tablet brings the device to a ecoATM kiosk where it will be properly recycled or refurbished for resale.
ecoATM acquired Gazelle in 2015, allowing consumers to have an online or kiosk experience Nationwide. Gazelle ecoATM kiosks are automated machines that make it easy and convenient for people to sell back unwanted tablets and smartphones. Gazelle ecoATM kiosks are located in the malls, grocery stores, and Walmart that people already frequent. People receive cash on the spot for the iPhones and Android devices they no longer use.
Technology 3
Metro fill-level sensor
The metro is the sensor on the market provided by Sigfox Partner Network located in Mississauga, Ontario. This company device is versatile & advanced.
The metro sensor is the hardware element of the one plus intelligent waste monitoring solution that is revolutionizing how the waste & recycling industry collects. Some benefits of the metro sensor are superior fill-level sensor technology, optimized waste collections, auditing of collections, robust & reliable, zero maintenance and SMS & email alerts.
Using the most advanced ultrasonic sensor technology and digital signaling processes, the one plus metro measures the fill level of almost any liquid or material in multiple container types.
Conclusion
Innovative techniques are solution for the existing problems, and it reduce the use of land for landfill however many of the techniques are costly.
