Cell 19 is currently being constructed at the Eastview Landfill Site.
Why are we constructing this new cell?
We need to build new cells before the old cells are at capacity to ensure continuity of service going forward. The reason cell 19 is being built so soon after the completion of cell 17 is because when doing the test pitting of cell 17, during the predesign process, it was determined that an old overnight pit was within the limits of the proposed new cell 17. After some consideration, it was determined that we would reduce the size of cells 17 & 19. This meant that the capacity for each was significantly reduced, resulting in the need to build cell 19 sooner than what would normally be required. There is usually at least three years between builds.
How long does it take to build?
The process for building a new cell starts as soon as the most recent cell being built is completed. This entails removing any fill material and getting the footprint of the new cell down to a rough grade.This work is typically completed internally by landfill staff, as time is not normally a big concern. This allows the contractor to come in and focus on getting the cell floor to the finished grade before the liner, leachate collection system and granular drainage material is installed. The contractor is typically onsite for 60 – 90 days. With the current cell being built, the timeframe was significantly reduced. as cell 17 was completed in the late fall of 2023. Excavation started on cell 19 right away to get ready for spring 2024 construction. This left us with a short turnaround of only a few months to get to a rough grade so that the contractor could start their process.
How big is cell 19 going to be?
Cell 19 is being built using the following dimensions: 70 metres X 125 metres, or 8,750 square metres. This provides approximately 100,000 cubic metres of space to fill with waste, and an estimated 18 months of capacity. There was approximately 25,000 cubic metres of fill material removed from the cell footprint to get to a rough grade and an additional 8,100 cubic metres to get to a finished grade. This material was either stockpiled to be used as future daily, intermediate, or final cover, or used as daily cover material in the active cell as required.