Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

In Canada, Environment Canada has implemented measures to encourage companies to find sustainable disposal methods for all waste, such as landfills, recycling, and compost. Northern Communities such as Harrington Harbour to not have practical access to these management systems, due to the costly nature of development. The cost of exporting materials also makes recycling and composting challenging in remote communities. Along coastal communities marine waste from the fishing industry is also incorporated. Upwards of 200 tons of waste is produced annually at The Cooperative Communautaire de Fruits de Mer de la Basse Côte-Nord (CCFMBCN), a company that is primarily focused in crab but also has a large ground fish sector. This waste created from the processing by-product is permitted to be dumped offshore according to regulation standard set by Environment Canada, due to no other practical system being available. While all this material is organic and poses minimal threat to the ocean ecosystem, the waste itself holds a lot of value in nutrients and organic materials that could be beneficial for a variety of industries, particularly the agricultural industry. The company is located in Harrington Harbour and operates as a Solidarity Cooperative and employees approximately 50 people during its peak season. The company wishes to diversify its activities and expand, by developing new fertilizer formulations based on crab residues, to better meet the growing demand of agricultural producers in Northern Quebec. In this context, CCFMBCN, wishes that the Center for Experimentation and Development in the Boreal Forest (CEDFOB), assist in the development new fertilizer formulations based the waste they are currently producing.