Waste Management in Remote Rural Communities Across the Canadian North: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

We report results from a two-phase mixed methods research study to illustrate challenges and opportunities of waste management within the rural circumpolar and boreal regions of Canada. In the qualitative research phase, data were obtained from archives, semi-structured interviews with community partners, an information meeting with a community grassroots organization, and a participatory action meeting to develop a case study of the Labrador waste management system. Like many regions across the world's boreal belt, the study area consists of a population centre surrounded by diffuse, rural communities (many of which are inhabited by Indigenous and First Nations persons), multiple land uses, and complex governance considerations. The area faces harsh climatic conditions (e.g. frigidly cold temperatures and extended winters) that challenge biological processes and organic waste decomposition. These regions are often highly reliant upon natural resources and temporary labour forces to drive economic development, and they bear the environmental consequences of legacy wastes after project closures. In the qualitative research phase, we identify factors contributing to the accrual, management, and transport of inorganic waste across the study region to select a priority waste stream for an economic analysis in the quantitative study phase. In the quantitative phase we build an economic enterprise budget to assess costs associated with converting waste biomass from the construction of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric dam into biochar with either a fast or slow mobile pyrolysis system. We include photos of the study region and we present an Excel-based spreadsheet tool as a supplemental file.

Economic feasibility of biochar and agriculture coproduction from Canadian black spruce forest

“…The breakeven, sensitivity, and stochastic analyses presented in this paper expand upon an Excel‐based enterprise budget previously developed for a prospective biochar production project colocated at the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric mega‐project site (Keske, Mills, Godfrey, Tanguay, & Dicker, ), which is slated to begin energy production in late 2019 or early 2020. In that article, the authors postulated that biochar and agricultural coproduction, incorporating biochar as a soil amendment, show potential as a profitable venture, which motivated the presenting research study.…”

Waste Management in Labrador and Northern Communities: Opportunities and Challenges

“…These concerns have been articulated by Bharadwaj et al (2006) and Schiff & Bernard (2018) as overarching issues within First Nations communities across Canada, which rely upon hunting and gathering country foods for their sustenance. For more discussion about country foods among First Nations communities across Canada, and in relation to Newfoundland and Labrador's population as a whole, please consult Van Oostdam et al (1999) and Keske (2018), respectively. This is exacerbated by the lack of organic waste diversion since, on account of the cold climate, permafrost, and poor soils, composting for agriculture is not a major strategy.…”

“…Results from the qualitative phase were used to identify potential waste streams for a quantitative data analysis on the economic feasibility of a sustainable waste management solution within the study region. Results from the quantitative phase are available in Keske, Mills, Godfrey, Tanguay, & Dicker (2018).…”

“…Shortly after the completion of the qualitative research phase, we embarked on developing an enterprise budget for a prospective biochar production project co-located at the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric mega-project under construction by Nalcor Energy (Nalcor Energy, 2018). As described in Keske et al (2018), the enterprise budget serves as a pilot study to assess the economic and technical feasibility of producing biochar from the biomass feedstock (primarily black spruce and balsam fi r) that was cleared for transmission lines running to the new generating station at Muskrat Falls. The preliminary project focuses on the use of a mobile pyrolysis unit to reduce capital costs and take advantage of the log piles (pits) remaining after mass clear-cutt ing.…”

Assessing the Wild Mammals Status Affected by Human Wastes, Based on the Field Works and MCDM Analysis

“…Several studies have found that incomplete disposal of wastes in the natural areas affects all animals (2,6,7). Some studies also indicated that some of the environmental problems caused by waste on animal habitats are soil pollution, water pollution, disease and death of wildlife (8). Ye and Qin evaluated the status of rural waste management in China.…”