Comox Valley Waste Management Centre | Comox Strathcona Waste Management

The first phase of the new engineered landfill is open at the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre.

The project has two components; the landfill Cell 1 and a leachate treatment facility to treat the stormwater in the landfill.

The need for a new engineered landfill cell was identified as part of the 2012 Comox Strathcona solid waste management plan. The project was initially budgeted at $21.5 million in 2014 and projected final costs are under budget at $16.1 million.

Cell 1 meets or exceeds all current provincial requirements for landfill design, construction, and operation. It includes a multilayer engineered liner system the size of 11 CFL football fields. The liner is designed to collect leachate – formed when rainwater mixes with solid waste – to keep surface and ground water safe.

The leachate will be transferred to a lined equalization pond before being treated by the new treatment facility, which will remove contaminants and return clean water to the environment.

Construction of the leachate treatment facility is under development. Prior to the commissioning of the treatment facility, leachate from the new cell will be collected and stored in the onsite equalization pond.

Protecting the Liner

As waste begins to be delivered to the new landfill, only commercial and residential municipal solid waste will be allowed into the site. To protect the liner, construction materials and demolition waste will continue to be disposed of in the existing landfill until a two-metre layer of selected waste is in place. It’s important all residents take extra care to ensure waste material is properly sorted and items like household hazardous waste, construction materials and metals are diverted.

This video explains how the new landfill works and what we can do to protect it.

You can help extend the life our new landfill by donating or recycling unwanted items, sorting household garbage, and properly disposing of construction materials and hazardous waste. For more information on what to do with your unwanted items please visit the relevant page below:

Existing Site

The current landfill cell is 70 per cent closed. The closure involves covering the site with a series of layers to stop clean water from infiltrating the landfill and generating leachate. The layers include a foundation layer, barrier layer, protection layer and topsoil .The closure also includes a gas collection system to collect and divert methane generated from the waste decomposition in the landfill. Diverting and flaring off the landfill gas helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the site.

The existing site will continue to receive construction and demolition materials until the two-metre protective layer is complete in the new cell. Once that happens, the remaining sections of the site will be closed and covered.

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The new landfill cell at the Comox Valley Waste Management Centre opened to the public in summer 2017.