Ottawa, like many growing North American cities, faces a number of energy and waste management challenges:
Extend the life of Ottawa's existing landfill sites
By safely and cleanly converting municipal solid waste into usable products, we can extend the life of existing landfill sites indefinitely. We avoid the unwelcome consequence of locating new landfill sites while reducing the costs associated with acquiring, constructing, equipping and managing new sites.
Protect Ottawa's environment and fight global climate change
Diverting municipal solid waste from landfill sites into a process that produces ultra-low engine exhaust emissions reduces our impact on our environment. Less land is required for waste disposal, less greenhouse gasses are released into our atmosphere, and less hazardous substances leach into our water.
Improve our energy supply
The blackout of 2003 and intermittent brownouts demonstrate the fragile nature of our energy situation. Further distressing is that much of our energy continues to come from sources such as coal and other fossil fuels that create serious environmental challenges. Converting our otherwise residual waste that cannot be practically recycled to generate clean electricity just makes sense. We must make the most of the carbon we have on the earth's surface whenever possible over using more fossil fuel. This project is an exciting opportunity to improve our energy supply and lower the environmental impact of our energy consumption.
Be at the forefront of environmentally sustainable technologies
Ottawa has a reputation as a technology leader. In the coming years, environmentally sustainable technologies will be at the forefront of research and development around the world. By adopting groundbreaking technologies today, we ensure our place as a future leader in this important area.
Create new sources of revenue for the City of Ottawa
Once Plasco builds an Ottawa commercial facility, the city will receive a share in all future increases in revenues from electricity sales. Further, the city of Ottawa will also receive royalties from future Plasco plants built in North America.
A low-risk opportunity
Plasco Energy Group is financing the construction of the Trail Road demonstration facility without any contribution from the City of Ottawa and its taxpayers. During the final stages of the evaluation period the City will continue to deliver 85 tonnes of waste per day to the facility and will pay a tipping fee of $40 per tonne-about the same as it cost the City to dump waste at the City owned landfill. After the evaluation period of the demonstration facility, should the City deem the project unsuccessful, Plasco will remove the facility at its own expense.