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Retrofit, Redevelopment, and Expansion

Church Road Transfer Station

Church Road Transfer Station is on its way to becoming a leading Zero Waste facility

The Regional District of Nanaimo is redeveloping CRTS to meet the needs of our growing region and extend the facility's lifespan to 2030. Between February and September, 2010 every part of CRTS will be redeveloped to expand capacity, accept food waste, and improve operational efficiency. The new CRTS will be technologically advanced, safer, and greener, the first facility built in accordance with the RDN Green Building Policy, meeting LEED Gold® standards.

The environmental and community benefits of redeveloping CRTS are well-recognized. In 2008 the Government of Canada and the Union of British Columbian Municipalities provided the RDN with a grant of $2.7 million, through the Federal Gas Tax Fund, towards the project's total cost of $5.5 million.

• 2010 Expansions and Upgrades
• Green Building Features and Environmental Benefits
• Why A New CRTS?
• Construction Update

2010 Expansions and Upgrades

• New 2878 square foot transfer station building for commercial garbage and food and kitchen waste
• Retrofit existing 3346 square foot transfer station building
• Operations building construction
• New scale plaza
• Roadwork
  1. Turn-off lane northbound on Church Road (complete)
  2. By-pass lane southbound on Church Road (complete)
  3. New scale access road, including queuing lanes
  4. Other road work
• Water supply and distribution upgrades, including a connection to the community water supply
• Innovation on-site wastewater treatment system
• Saw-tooth recyclables drop-off area
• Internal asphalt works

Green Building Features and Environmental Benefits

As an RDN Green Building, the new CRTS is developed according to an Integrated Design Process requiring the RDN, building contractor Windley Contracting, site engineer Herold Engineering, and project manager AECOM to set performance targets and develop strategies together for a broad range of green building parameters.

• Annual reduction of more than 3,600 tonnes, CO2e in annual greenhouse gas emissions, as regional solid waste transport becomes more efficient, and methane-producing food waste is diverted from the landfill - that's in addition to more than 4,600 tonnes, CO2e annually that CRTS operations already help reduce.

• In its first year the new CRTS is expected to handle more than 12,500 tonnes of food and yard waste, to be diverted from the regional landfill in Cedar and sent to a composting facility in Duke Point, with that amount growing every year.

• No net increase in the rate or quantity of storm water runoff from existing conditions.

• All storm water generated onsite that is not harvested for reuse will be retained in retention ponds on the existing site and treated prior to discharge.

• The building goal is to reduce overall consumption of water at the CRTS through selection and specification of water efficient fixtures, capture of roof rainwater for reuse, and other conservation measures.

• The project will optimize energy performance by 24.5 per cent for new buildings and 14 per cent for existing building renovations.

• The project will have a goal of 2.5 per cent onsite renewable energy.

• Additional green building features will include passive ventilation, natural day lighting, green roofing, and use of environmentally friendly building materials.

Why A New CRTS?

Since its construction in 1991, the scope of CRTS operations has expanded greatly as our communities have grown, and new recycling and waste management opportunities have emerged. In 2003 CRTS reached and exceeded its original design capacity of 20,900 tonnes of waste per year, and it has continued to handle more material every year. In 2007 CRTS processed approximately 100,000 vehicle transactions carrying 29,517 tonnes of waste, almost a third more than it was designed to handle. Through the ingenuity of onsite staff, operations at CRTS have continued smoothly, but the facility needs an overhaul in order to meet the waste management demands of the future. The new CRTS will be designed to accommodate continuous annual growth in the regional solid waste stream. By 2026 it's expected that CRTS will handle 105,978 tonnes of solid waste (including recyclables and organics) per year.

As the region's only transfer station CRTS will also play an important role in residential food waste collection, a service set for region-wide expansion in fall, 2010. The new 2878 sq ft transfer building (located next to the existing one) will accommodate vehicles carrying food waste collected in Parksville, Qualicum Beach, and RDN Electoral Areas E, F, G, and H. In its first year the new CRTS is expected to handle more than 12,500 tonnes of food and yard waste, to be diverted from the regional landfill in Cedar and sent to a composting facility in Duke Point, with that amount growing every year. The existing 3346 sq ft building will be retrofitted to be used for residential and small business haulers bringing in garbage, and for yard waste.

Construction Update

While minimal, there will be operational slowdowns at CRTS during construction this year to accommodate the installation of new buildings and equipment. This webpage will have regularly-updated information on CRTS, as will local newspapers, radio, and television. We appreciate your patience and continued use of CRTS this year as we upgrade your facility.

The recycling area at CRTS has been relocated temporarily to accommodate facility upgrades. Customers should anticipate waiting an extra 10 minutes to access garbage and recycling areas.

For more information on construction-related slowdowns and closures at CRTS please call Church Road Transfer Station at 250-248-5254.