Alberta city chooses SENA Waste Services to run waste management facilities

The city of Edmonton, Alberta, has contracted with SENA Waste Services on a five-year agreement worth approximately $75 million to operate and maintain two key portions of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. Under the new agreement, SENA Waste Services will maintain and operate the Edmonton Composting Facility (ECF) and provide important maintenance support services for the Integrated Process and Transfer Facility (IPTF) and the Construction & Demolition (C&D) Facility. SENA Solid Waste Holdings Inc., an Alberta-based corporation, is a joint venture between Suez Environnement North America and AECOM.

“This selection represents an important milestone that clearly demonstrates SENA Waste Services is well-regarded by the city of Edmonton, which is one of world’s most sustainable cities,” says Bertrand Camus, CEO of Suez Environnement North America. SENA Waste Services and its predecessor companies have worked with the city of Edmonton since 2001.

According to Philippe Allouche, general manager, SENA Waste Services, the Edmonton Waste Management Centre is a unique collection of advanced waste processing and research facilities. Owned and operated by the city of Edmonton Waste Management Services, the center is North America's largest collection of modern, sustainable waste processing and research facilities and is an integral part of Edmonton’s approach to waste management.

“In just over 20 years Edmonton has traveled from a relatively simple waste management system to one of the most sophisticated in the world,” says Bud Latta, director, processing and disposal, Edmonton Waste Management Services. “We are proud of our accomplishments and excited to partner with SENA Waste Services in bringing innovative solutions to the residents and businesses of Edmonton.”

The IPTF maintained by SENA Waste Services allows the separation of waste into three categories:

• organics for composting;
• waste for landfill; and
• waste for conversion to ethanol at the on-site Waste-to-Biofuels Facility.

The C&D Facility recycles wood, drywall, asphalt shingles, concrete, metals and brush and trees. The Edmonton Composting Facility operated and maintained by SENA Waste Services is the largest composting facility in the country, allowing for composting of both organic solid waste and biosolids material.

According to Latta, the city of Edmonton currently diverts up to 60 percent of household waste from landfill through recycling and composting. The organic portion of the household waste is sorted out and composted. “Our waste diversion success is the result of effective, early strategic planning and now solid operational execution,” he said. “SENA Waste Services has become an important part of those operations and plays a key role in our successes.”

"By making recovery a priority development focus, Suez EnvironnemenT has gradually become a producer of renewable energy and a leader in resource management. The circular economy is at the heart of our strategy and today we bring our clients much more than waste treatment services; we offer them renewable solutions as demonstrated by the exemplary case of Edmonton," concludes Marie-Ange Debon, deputy CEO in charge of International Business at Suez Environnement.

Photo caption: SENA Waste Services employees working at the Edmonton Waste Recycling Facility's aeration hall.