York Region and Convertus break ground on Biofuel Facility in the Town of East Gwillimbury

Breaking ground on the future site of a new Biofuel Facility in the Town of East Gwillimbury. From left to right: Lindsay Milne, Director, Waste Management and Forestry, Laura McDowell, Commissioner, Public Works, Wayne Emmerson, York Region Chairman and CEO, Erin Mahoney, Chief Administrative Officer, Iain Lovatt, Mayor, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, and Virginia Hackson, Mayor, Town of East Gwillimbury.

On Friday, October 18, 2024, members of York Regional Council, including Wayne Emmerson, York Region Chairman and CEO, Virginia Hackson, Mayor of the Town of East Gwillimbury, and Iain Lovatt, Mayor of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, attended the ceremonial groundbreaking of the future site of a new state-of-the-art Convertus biofuel facility that will convert organic waste into renewable natural gas or biofuel.

In January 2023, Regional Council approved a 20-year contract with Convertus to process York Region’s curbside household green bin materials locally. The contract award was completed through a competitive process and Convertus was selected based on industry leading waste processing practices and their ongoing commitment to protect the environment and encourage sustainability across our communities. Convertus will design, build, own and operate a state-of-the-art Biofuel Facility that converts organic waste into Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) approved fertilizer and renewable natural gas.

The new Biofuel Facility will be located adjacent to York Region’s Material Recovery and Transfer Facility at 100 Garfield Wright Boulevard in the Town of East Gwillimbury. This facility will process up to 165,000 tonnes of green bin waste per year when fully operational in 2027, meeting the Region’s processing needs until 2047.

As York Region’s population grows, so will the amount of organic waste generated by residents. York Region has secured local, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective long-term processing capacity for green bin materials to address this anticipated growth.

Currently, York Region transports its green bin material to three separate processing facilities across Ontario, traveling between 160 to 360 kilometres. The new local facility will eliminate the need for long-distance transportation, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The facility will employ advanced odour control technologies and will produce enough renewable natural gas to heat up to 5,000 homes in York Region annually.

Residents will not experience any changes to the current curbside green bin program and accepted materials will remain the same.

Learn more about the facility at york.ca/BiofuelFacility