Challenge Question
How can we turn non-recyclable waste into fuel, usable energy, or a usable product?
Project Source: Buy and Sell, via Lassonde
Project Summary
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is looking for a solution to treat the non-compostable, non-recyclable waste that it produces, with the objective of lowering its emissions and reducing what is sent to landfills. The intent is to manage the department’s refuse in three streams: recyclable waste; compostable waste; and waste that can be converted into fuel, thermal energy, and/or a usable product. This project aims to devise solutions that support the third stream (convertible waste) and enable GAC to improve on its current waste management by allowing for on-site and environmentally friendly alternatives that minimize the amount of product that must be transported off-site. Treatment of waste on-site will reduce haulage and use of landfills, help lower Green House Gas emissions, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and reduce the related effects on the environment. Ideally, any materials that are not recyclable or compostable would either become fuel or thermal energy for providing heat and hot water in GAC facilities, or they would be turned into a usable product. The solution should also use the waste to fuel its own operation and ultimately be deployable within Canada and wherever needed. Proposed solutions must be portable, cleanable, and user friendly; be waterproof and able to function in extreme temperatures (+/-35 degrees Celsius); and be able to process one 7- to 16-gallon bag of garbage at a time. Interested students might have backgrounds in civil or mechanical engineering, environmental studies/science, sustainable solutions, urban planning, climate change, and sustainability. This challenge originated from the Buyandsell.gc.ca website, and team members will be working with a York University mentor rather than a mentor from the organization.
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Organizational Profile
Buyandsell.gc.ca is a service of Public Works and Government Services Canada that helps Government of Canada procurement specialists, government buyers and material managers, and Canadian businesses that want to supply goods and services to the government. Conceived by businesses and procurement professionals to make government procurement easier, Buyandsell.gc.ca offers one location to find simple but authoritative answers to everyday questions about how to buy and sell for the federal government. By accessing open procurement and contracting data, Buyandsell.gc.ca helps businesses and government buyers focus less on figuring out how to do business and more on doing business.
Project Source Website
Learn more about the kind of work the project source organization does by browsing their website.
Additional Resources
Key Words
- Waste Management
- Convertible Waste
- Closed-Loop Systems
- Sustainability