SEPT/OCT 2014
H
business elite canada 189
By Cheryl Long
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A landfill site is often considered a necessary evil, particularly
to residents who live within breathing distance of the odour-
emitting facility. Now imagine an alternative that gives off lit-
tle to no odours, emits no greenhouse gases into the environ-
ment, prevents groundwater contamination and can transform
a landfill into reusable resource within a short period of time.
It’s an alternative that’s poised to change the way the world
deals with waste disposal.
Sustainable Aerobic Landfill Technologies (SALT) Inc. is based
in London, Ontario and uses what seems like simple technol-
ogy to tackle a worldwide problem – growing populations that
produce more waste than the globe will eventually be able to
handle. Traditional landfills are anaerobic, or oxygen-deprived,
and pose environmental risks through greenhouse gas emis-
sions, odour production and leachate – a resulting landfill liquid
that can contaminate groundwater. The mountainous sites can
take centuries to decompose their organic materials. SALT uses
compressed air and moisture to remediate and recover landfill
space by transforming the site from an anaerobic to aerobic
state, creating a healthy environment where bacteria rapidly
break down the waste organics.
“Aerobic bacteria produce zero methane and degrade organic
material 30 to 35 times faster than under anaerobic conditions,”
said SALT President and CEO John Baxter. “That means a landfill
site that would normally take over 100 years to fully degrade,
can be done in three to four. There are significant advantages.”
