The vital need for more organics (green bin) processors has been emphasized by York Region's recent loss of a key outlet at Chicoutimi, Quebec.

York was unable to find another processor, so it's having to send organics to New York State for incineration.

Meantime, although York and Dufferin are in a joint effort to create an organics composter at Dufferin's EcoEnergy Park (DEEP), the demonstrated urgent need is unlikely to speed up construction of the facility.

Dufferin's Public Works director, Trevor Lewis, still sets the target date for completion as 2010, and York and the county are still in negotiations with a vendor. Mr. Lewis said the preferred one hasn't been announced, and won't be until the deal comes to fruition.

Completion of the facility can't be hastened beyond what it already is. "We've used an aggressive approach to begin with," he said.

Once the negotiations have been completed, the proposal will have to go through an approvals process. Mr. Lewis is not expecting any delay in that sense for the composter, as the county's conditional Certificate of Approval included composting.

Nor does he expect any zoning problems at the Highway 89/Amaranth-East Luther townline, although there could be an Official Plan delay as the amalgamated East Luther Grand Valley has yet to win ministerial approval for its OP.

Thermal processing at DEEP is intended to go handin hand with processing organics. Mr. Lewis said that facility might be "a bit more onerous" in the approval stages than the composter.

Nonetheless, the request for proposals closes in mid- September, and he is hoping to reach an agreement with the selected vendor by Christmas.

According to the Toronto Star, York will be shipping 9,000 metric tons of organics for incineration at the New York site. Mr. Lewis, who have been contacted by that paper with respect to DEEP, said he had the impression that York and the U.S. company feel it is preferable to burn waste and use the heat to produce energy rather than to bury it where it would produce methane.

Dufferin's thermal plant will not be an incinerator, but a gasifier. In both instances, however, the waste materials can be converted to energy.

But the lack of an organics processor has been amply demonstrated. Mr. Lewis said it's "one of the main reasons (the Dufferin-York partnership came about). There's a lot out there," he said.

The Star reported that Toronto has not proceeded with its green bin program for apartments because of the lack of processors.

Dufferin's green-bin wastes are currently being handled in Caledon, but the county has been told access to the nearby facility could be cut off on short notice.