What is an Integrated Waste Management Facility?

The IWMF will be a comprehensive facility that combines various waste management processes and technologies to effectively collect, transport, process, treat, recycle, and dispose of different types of waste in an environmentally responsible manner. These facilities are designed to address multiple aspects of waste management, including waste reduction, recycling, and safe disposal of residual waste.

The proposed IWMF will accept solid, non-hazardous waste from private contracts that may include local and regional sources. WCC’s proposed IWMF would provide the community and local business the opportunity to transition to using the services available at the facility.

Characteristics of an IWMF

  • Only a portion of the site will be utilized for the IWMF. The undeveloped portions of the land owned by WCC will continue to be used for agriculture.

  • The transfer station for ancillary materials would include the collection of agricultural plastics, metal, wood, concrete, and residual waste. Agricultural plastics would be collected on site and transferred to a stewardship organization (e.g. Cleanfarms) for processing.

    The public drop-off is an area dedicated for use by residents or small contractors for collection of potentially divertible materials.

  • The weigh scale is where vehicles hauling in waste will stop to get weighed, recorded, and processed prior to accessing the landfill cell. The shop and office will support the maintenance and administrative tasks of the IWMF.

  • The stormwater pond is designed to collect and manage run-off from the active area of the landfill.

  • The landfill component of the facility will be developed progressively over many years while agricultural uses will be maintained on the remaining lands to the largest practical extent. The IWMF will also direct materials for recycling and/or re-use, for example through a recycling transfer station which could collect agricultural plastics, metal, wood, and concrete. Agricultural plastics would be collected on site and transferred to a stewardship organization for processing.

    WCC intends to collect wood and process it into chips for use and application on this site (e.g. internal access roads, on-site dust abatement). Other recyclable materials such as metals and concrete could be collected and transferred offsite to a third-party for processing or reuse.

  • The stockpiles to be maintained on site will support two main purposes:

    a) topsoil and subsoil stockpiles will be used in future reclamation, and final landfill cell cover, and

    b) stockpile for daily and intermediate cover of the waste material.

    The daily stockpile is typically smaller and closer to the active cell, the intermediate-term stockpile is larger and further away.

  • • Municipal Solid Waste (MSW): household waste, commercial waste, agricultural waste, and other non-hazardous solid materials.
    • Non-hazardous Industrial, Institutional, Commercial Waste: waste from industries that does not contain hazardous substances.
    • Construction and Demolition Debris: inert materials from construction and demolition activities.

  • • Local and regional waste.
    • Private contracts managing solid non-hazardous waste.
    • Opportunity to explore waste management partnerships with local business, communities, and Kneehill County.

  • Cleanfarms is a non-profit environmental stewardship organization that works to ensure that Canadian farmers can actively contribute to a healthy environment and a sustainable future.

    Cleanfarms offers a tangible way to address agricultural waste management and resource in the community.

    WCC’s IWMF will become a partner, offering a collection site for farmers to drop off materials.

    Learn more at CleanFarms.ca