Wastech Launches New Green Energy Initiative

Gas capture plant at Cache Creek Landfill will generate enough electricity to power over 2500 households

CACHE CREEK, BC, June 15, 2015 /CNW/ - Thanks to a new initiative from Wastech Services Ltd. ("Wastech"), British Columbia will benefit from a significant and stable new source of renewable energy.

Wastech today celebrated the official opening of its Landfill Gas Utilization Plant at the Cache Creek Landfill, an initiative that will generate electricity at a rate of 4.8 megawatts – enough to power more than 2500 typical households. The project uses innovative technology to trap gas that is naturally generated from the landfilling process, and transform it into a source of renewable, sustainable power.

Representatives of Wastech and its parent company Belkorp Environmental Services Inc. were today joined by Jackie Tegart, MLA for Fraser-Nicola and John Ranta, Mayor of Cache Creek, to cut the ribbon officially celebrating the project's commencement.

"This project reflects our company's commitment to sustainability and our position as a leader in the provincial waste management sector," said Stuart Belkin, Chairman & CEO of Belkorp Industries Inc. "By utilizing the gas that is naturally generated, this investment adds a new dimension to the waste management practices at the Cache Creek Landfill. Wastech and the Cache Creek Landfill are vital parts of BC's waste management infrastructure, and thanks in part to our partnership with Metro Vancouver and BC Hydro, we are pleased to extend that role by generating renewable energy from landfill gas – enough to power more than 2500 homes."

Added Jackie Tegart, MLA for Fraser-Nicola: "This project is an example of the private-sector expertise present in the British Columbia economy, and demonstrates a shared commitment to sustainability. I am pleased to help mark the beginning of such an important project for the community and the region."

Said John Ranta, Mayor, Village of Cache Creek: "This investment by Wastech expands an already important relationship with our community. We value the company's commitment to enhancing its operations here in Cache Creek, and its ongoing attention to the environmental performance of the landfill."

In anticipation of new provincial gas collection regulations coming into effect in 2016, Wastech pre-emptively met its gas capture targets at the Cache Creek facility years ahead of schedule, capturing even more methane than the regulations will mandate.  With the implementation of this new project, that captured gas will find an environmentally friendly end-use as renewable electricity.

The Cache Creek Landfill has served as a key disposal destination for Metro Vancouver's solid waste over the past 26 years.  With the launch of its Landfill Gas Utilization Plant, Wastech looks forward to continuing to manage the well being of the environment associated with the landfill business in Cache Creek.

Wastech has entered into an initial 20-year contract to provide all electricity generated from the project to BC Hydro under the Standing Offer Program.

Construction of the Landfill Gas Utilization Project began in the summer of 2014, with commercial operations beginning in March 2015. The majority of the technology for the project was sourced from partners in BC, including the main generating equipment, which was purchased from Finning, headquartered in Vancouver. The project was funded by Wastech.

A time-lapse video of the plant's construction can be accessed at: http://www.wastech.ca/cache-creek-landfill-gas-capture-plant-construction-time-lapse/ 

About the Cache Creek Landfill

Opened in 1989 and currently employing 50 local people, the Cache Creek Landfill covers a 48-hectare area with a total waste capacity of approximately 10 million tonnes. Since it opened, the Cache Creek Landfill has served as a vital disposal destination for Metro Vancouver and several other BC Regional Districts, including the local Thompson Nicola Regional District. Wastech has been a responsible member of the Cache Creek and Ashcroft communities, a key source of employment and a driver of the economy, working with municipal officials and community stakeholders. Its operations are regularly reviewed by a citizen's Landfill Advisory Committee, and extensive environmental monitoring is regularly conducted at the facility to ensure the effectiveness of protection features.

About Wastech

Wastech Services Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Belkorp Environmental Services Inc., has more than 30 years experience in British Columbia as a strong partner for corporations, government agencies and institutions in the design, management, and optimization of recycling and waste management systems. Our core areas of expertise include recycling, transfer stations, landfills, commodity sales, wood recycling, and transportation-back-hauling services. Wastech works in collaboration with communities in which it operates to bring solutions that are cost-effective, and that minimize or eliminate environmental impacts.

Wastech is headquartered in Coquitlam, and operates transfer stations in Abbotsford, Coquitlam, North Vancouver and Surrey, as well as the Cache Creek Landfill in the BC interior.

SOURCE WASTECH SERVICES LTD.

Image with caption: "CACHE CREEK--June 15, 2015--Belkorp Chairman & CEO Stuart Belkin is joined by Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart, right, along with Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta, left, to cut the ribbon on Wastech's new landfill gas capture facility in Cache Creek B.C. on June 15, 2015. The plant converts methane gas into enough renewable electricity to power over 2500 homes. The gas utilization plant at the Cache Creek Landfill builds on the 30 years of experience that Wastech and its parent company Belkorp Environmental Services Inc. have in providing British Columbia with recycling and waste management solutions. Photo by Jeff Bassett (CNW Group/WASTECH SERVICES LTD.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150615_C7800_PHOTO_EN_18103.jpg

Image with caption: "CACHE CREEK--June 15, 2015--Belkorp Chairman & CEO Stuart Belkin addresses employees, parters, and community members at Wastech's new landfill gas capture facility in Cache Creek B.C. on June 15, 2015. The plant converts methane gas into enough renewable electricity to power over 2500 homes. The gas utilization plant at the Cache Creek Landfill builds on the 30 years of experience that Wastech and its parent company Belkorp Environmental Services Inc. have in providing British Columbia with recycling and waste management solutions. Photo by Jeff Bassett (CNW Group/WASTECH SERVICES LTD.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150615_C7800_PHOTO_EN_18104.jpg

Image with caption: "CACHE CREEK--June 15, 2015-- A Wastech employee at the company's new landfill gas capture facility in Cache Creek B.C. on June 15, 2015. The plant converts methane gas into enough renewable electricity to power over 2500 homes. The gas utilization plant at the Cache Creek Landfill builds on the 30 years of experience that Wastech and its parent company Belkorp Environmental Services Inc. have in providing British Columbia with recycling and waste management solutions. Photo by Jeff Bassett (CNW Group/WASTECH SERVICES LTD.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150615_C7800_PHOTO_EN_18105.jpg

Robin Fraser, Longview Communications, [phone]; Janet Tecklenborg, Wastech Services Ltd., [phone]