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In alignment with the 25-year Waste Strategy, the City of Edmonton uses waste-to-energy technology to keep more waste out of the landfill and provide a cleaner energy source.
While waste-to-energy is a way to put non-recyclable, non-compostable waste to beneficial use, it is still important to reduce waste wherever you can and properly sort your food scraps, yard waste and recycling. Waste-to-energy may be a more energy-intensive process, but landfilling is the most harmful way to dispose of waste because of the harmful gases produced.
At Edmonton's Refuse Derived Fuel plant, garbage is processed and turned into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) or “garbage fluff.” The City can provide RDF to partners who convert this waste into energy.
To create RDF, waste material is screened to remove any metal, glass or other inert materials. It’s then shredded into small pieces (about the size of your thumb) and dried.
The City has an agreement with Edmonton-based Varme Energy to generate green electricity and industrial heat while enabling the diversion of at least 150,000 tonnes of residential garbage from landfill per year beginning as early as 2027.
This type of waste-to-energy facility combusts garbage to produce steam that either generates electricity or provides heat for industrial processes.
This facility will complement the work done at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre to sort and process compostable and recyclable waste. By putting residual garbage to use as a fuel source, the City can keep more waste out of the landfill and contribute to Edmonton’s green energy transition.