R and D Diversions of Corner Brook has received a grant that will help put life back into the industrial composter once located at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University.
The waste diversion company recently obtained ownership of and responsibility for the Brome enclosed composter from the university thorugh an expression of interest and plans to operate it out of its Griffin Drive location.
The plan is to develop a commercial organic waste diversion program using the in-vessel composting system. Part of the agreement includes supporting Grenfell's composting and organic waste research initiatives.
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On Wednesday, the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) announced nearly $100,000 in funding for eight entities through the Solid Waste Management Innovation Fund.
Among those from western Newfoundland were R and D Diversions, which will receive $15,000, and the Deer Lake Tourism Development Corporation, which will get $13,540 for supporting the Town of Deer Lake with the development of an organic waste curbside collection service.
The MMSB originally provided $100,000 in funding through its Waste Management Trust Fund to finance the capital costs, training and education associated with the high-tech composter, which first started operating in 2011 as a project involving Grenfell, the MMSB and the College of the North Atlantic.
The composter was shut down in September 2016 as a cost-saving measure.
While R and D Diversions intends to service a selection of clients by processing organic waste with the composter at its Griffin Drive location, the company does have a more significant composting project in the works.
The company won’t talk about that idea in any detail yet because it is still early in the planning stages, but the company has been approved by the City of Corner Brook to use Crown land it hopes to acquire for a composting site. The approval still hinges on the site, which has not been disclosed, being rezoned to accommodate such a development.
Here is a complete list of projects recently funded by the MMSB though the 2018-19 Solid Waste Management Innovation Fund for innovative business concepts:
- 3F Waste Recovery (Main Brook): $15,000
- Avalon Mall (St. John’s): $15,000
- Deer Lake Tourism Development Corporation (Deer Lake): $13,540
- Fytics (St. John’s): $14,000
- HVGB Recyclers (Happy Valley-Goose Bay): $7,800
- Island Compost (St. John’s): $15,000
- R and D Diversions (Corner Brook): $15,000
- SucSeed (St. John’s): $4,450
Source: Multi-Materials Stewardship Board
***(This article was edited Feb. 22, 2018 to clarify the process through which R and D Diversions obtained the composter from Grenfell Campus.)
