The Durham York Energy Centre (DYEC) is a waste management facility that produces energy from the combustion of garbage. The DYEC safely processes 140,000 tonnes per year of residential garbage that remains after maximizing waste diversion programs – reducing, reusing, recycling and composting – in Durham and York Regions. Councils from both Durham and York Regions endorsed Energy from Waste (EFW) in 2006 as the best long-term, local and sustainable option for final disposal of residential garbage.
In the past, residential garbage collected by Durham and York Regions has been sent to landfills. Rather than just burying garbage, the DYEC processes it to recover valuable resources such as energy and additional metals first, then reducing the volume for landfill disposal.
Energy in the form of electricity is generated by the EFW process – enough to power approximately 10,000 homes – which helps to conserve fossil fuels. Additionally, the facility has the ability to use steam energy for district heating in the future.
By using state-of-the-art pollution control systems and proven, reliable EFW technology, the DYEC meets the most stringent environmental standards; reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to the existing landfill option; and reduces the overall volume of garbage being sent to landfill by up to 90 per cent.
To better understand how residential garbage is processed in an EFW facility, we invite you to view our tours.
Please note that we can offer space for up to 35 guests.
All guest participating in a facility tour are required to wear long sleeves, long pants and closed toed shoes or safety shoes. We will provide additional personal protection equipment while on site. To reduce waste, we also encourage guests to bring a pair of their own earphones as we use them on the tour with our audio equipment, though we do offer free earphones on site if required.