Post-Collection GHG (MMSW)
What GHG data do I need to report for post-collection operations?
Generally, GHG post-collection data will come from three activities:
- Hauling (transportation of waste packaging and paper to sorting facilities).
- Facilities (buildings and equipment for processing waste packaging and paper).
- Shipping to end markets (transportation of waste packaging and paper to markets for reuse).
Eligible GHG data includes any emissions from operations connected to your residential recycling program. This includes post-collection operations that may or may not be conducted by your own municipality, regional waste authority or First Nations community. If you have sub-contracted any portion of services for provision of a residential recycling program, or if your sub-contractor is using third party services (ie. processing and/or marketing of waste packaging and paper), those GHG emissions are also to be reported.
As a municipality, regional waste authority or First Nations community, do you:
- Transport collected waste packaging and paper to a receiving facility such as a consolidation site or a material recovery facility (MRF)?
- Operate/own a receiving facility such as a consolidation site or MRF?
- Process or sort collected waste packaging and paper into marketable categories?
- Sell and ship collected waste packaging and paper to markets for reuse?
If the answer to any of the above is no, then you will need to work with your sub-contractor and/or their third-party service provider(s) to obtain the required GHG data from those activities.
Post-collection refers to any material management activities that take place after initial collection of waste packaging and paper. Post-collection begins once the material begins its journey toward a material management facility. This may include a temporary stop at a consolidation site. See the example diagram below:
Or, material may be hauled directly to a processing facility for sorting and sale to remanufacturing markets.
Description of Post-Collection GHG emissions data requested
Hauling
- What classes of vehicles are being used for the hauling of waste packaging and paper from residential collections to post-collections receiving facilities?
- Light duty truck - (SUVs, minivans, full size vans, pickup trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating under 3856 Kg (8500lbs) and a curb weight under 2722 Kg (6000 lbs).
- Heavy duty - (road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over 3856 Kg (8500 lbs) and a curb weight over 2722 Kg (6000 lbs).
- What is the total amount of fuel consumed and type of fuel used by all vehicles which transport waste packaging and paper from collections to post-collection receiving facilities?
- If the total amount and type of fuel consumed per vehicle class is not available, then we will need to know the number of kilometers travelled by each vehicle type (i.e. total mileage) in order to calculate the estimated volume of fuel consumed. Alternatively, you can use the relevant % of time used to operate the vehicle for waste packaging and paper collection.
Facility
Equipment
Please report what kind(s) of fossil fuel-based equipment are used at your/sub-contractor/third party’s post-collection facilities. For example, does a particular facility have any forklifts, skid steers, loaders, etc.? Do they run on gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (propane) or natural gas?
In total for all of your fossil fuel-based equipment used, please report your total fuel usage. Please determine the amount of fuel purchased for your equipment by facility and record the total in litres. If different pieces of equipment use different fuels, please record the equipment and fuel usage separately. Please also include the percent of the time this type of equipment is used for MMSW-related use.
Below is an example of how you can record your information, or the information received from your sub-contractor/third party in preparation for when you need to submit it to MMSW:
| Type of Equipment | Forklift | Type of Equipment | Front-end loader |
|---|---|---|---|
| % of the time dedicated to MMSW materials | 25% | % of time dedicated to MMSW materials | 10% |
| Type of Fuel Used | Diesel | Type of Fuel Used | Diesel |
| Month | Total Fuel Usage (L) | Month | Total Fuel Usage (L) |
| January | 398 | January | 612 |
| January | 398 x .25 = 99.50L | January | 612 x .10 = 61L |
Electricity consumption
Please report how much electricity gets consumed at each of your facilities. This information is typically available from SaskPower. Please check your utility bill for amount of consumed electricity.
Below is an example for how you could record the information for this section in preparation for reporting through our system:
| Month | Usage (kWh) |
|---|---|
| January | 1,394 |
Please note that we are only concerned with the kWh attributable to MMSW's allocation. More on our recommended methodology for attributing allocation below.
Please notify us if you are not able to find out the electricity consumption solely for your post-collection facility.
Heating consumption
If your heat is generated by natural gas or another fuel type (diesel, kerosene, light fuel oil, heavy fuel oil, propane, ethane, butane), please record how much is being consumed at each post-collection facility. For natural gas, the amount should be in gigajoules (GJ or m3); other fuel types should be reported in litres (L).
There are two suggested ways for you to get this information:
- You can view usage on heating bills.
- If the post-collection facility is your sub-contractor’s or a third-party organization, then you can report the total area of the facility in square metres or square feet and the type of fuel used for heating the building.
Year Over Year Comparison
- If you report both collection and post-collection data, please compare your reported figures to the previous year and share any additional relevant information regarding what has contributed to a substantial change (+/- 20% of YOY totals).
- Use the ‘Attach Supporting Document’ tile to share additional relevant information via the provided ‘Year Over Year Comparison’ template.
Upload Supporting Documentation
- Using the ‘Attach Supporting Document’ tile on the Home page, please submit any relevant documentation that was used to compile the reporting data. E.g. Excel templates from a sub-contractor, print order for recycling schedules.
Shipping to end markets
What is the total distance waste packaging and paper was shipped to end markets? Please report this data using any one of the following three formats:
- Total kms + average weight per shipment
- Average kms per shipment + total weight
- Total kms + total weight + number of shipments
Also, please report what the mode of transport is for each material. Is it by ground transport, marine, or rail?
How do I determine MMSW GHG data vs. other post-collection activities?
MMSW recognizes that your post-collection activities may not be entirely related to MMSW materials. MMSW only requires you report on GHG data that relates to MMSW-related activities within your recycling program.
To accurately report only MMSW GHG data, we recommend you apply a consistent methodology for calculating this allocation. We recommend the following methodology for determining that allocation related to your hauling, facility and shipping to end market activities.
Regional Waste Authorities
If you are a Regional Waste Authority, you do not need to conduct allocations per member. GHG data can be reported for your entire membership in aggregate.
Hauling Allocation
Shared Route Collections
Check with your sub-contractor to determine if your collected waste packaging and paper is on a shared route with other collectors. If it is, the amount of GHGs generated by hauling activities will need to be allocated based on your annual share of waste packaging and paper hauled to receiving facilities.
For example: once you determine total fuel used (or total kilometres driven) for waste packaging and paper, then apply an allocation to determine your community’s share of GHG emissions on collection routes.
| Total Fuel Usage = 750 L | |
| Community A Households | 80 |
| Community B Households | 20 |
| Total Households on Full Truck | 100 |
| Community A Share GHG | 80% x 750 L = 600 L |
| Community B Share GHG | 20% x 750 L = 150 L |
If share of households is unknown, you may alternatively allocate based on a percentage share of total weight of waste packaging and paper.
Facilities Allocation
In order to properly calculate the portion of GHG emissions from each of your post-collection facility’s heat and electricity utilities associated with the MMSW program, we recommend you apply a consistent methodology for calculating this allocation for every facility.
Similar to the allocation process for obtaining end of life (EOL) data for marketed tonnes of waste packaging and paper, the percent of annual MMSW weight of material processed by the facility relative to the total weight/tonnage of your waste packaging and paper processed would be used as the percent allocation. This would then be applied to the total energy use for the facility to determine only the MMSW portion of GHG data to be reported.
The following table provides an example of this allocation. For this example, the collector is the ‘Town of Gotham’ and is part of the MMSW program.
| Annual tonnes WPP to MRF - all sources | 1000 |
| Town of Gotham annual tonnes WPP to MRF | 300 |
| % share applied to facility GHG data for Town of Gotham | 300/1000 = 30% |
| Total electricity used by MRF | 700 kWh |
| Total electricity usage reported by Town of Gotham | 700 x .30 = 210 kWh |
Shipping to End Markets Allocation
Similar to the allocation process for obtaining end of life (EOL) data for marketed tonnes of waste packaging and paper, the percent of annual weight of MMSW waste packaging and paper shipped to end markets would be used as the percent allocation. This would then be applied to the total fuel use for shipping to end markets to determine the GHG data to be reported.
The following table provides an example of this allocation. For this example, the collector is the ‘Town of Gotham’ and is part of the MMSW program.
| Annual tonnes WPP shipped to market | 975 |
| Town of Gotham annual tonnes WPP shipped to markets | 278 |
| % share applied to GHG data for Town of Gotham | 278/975 = 29% |
| Total fuel used for shipping to end market(s) | 890 L |
| Total fuel usage reported by Town of Gotham | 890 x .29 = 258 L |
Questions and Support
Information about GHG reporting, reporting guides, webinar materials and FAQs can all be found on the MMSW GHG reporting webpage: mmsk.ca/ghg.
Please contact the MMSW GHG team should you need assistance with filing your reports or if you have any questions:
- greenhousegas@multimaterialsw.ca
- 1-855-886-4558 (option 4)