Sadie MacDonald

McGIll University, MS Bioresource Engineering

Detachable Container Association Scholar 2024

Carbon Footprint and other Environmental Impacts of Montreal’s Organic Waste Management Systems

The aim of this research is to measure the carbon footprint and other environmental impacts of organic waste management (OWM) processes, such as composting and anaerobic digestion. To evaluate and compare different OWM scenarios, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be employed. LCA is a method used to quantify the environmental impacts associated with a product or service, enabling an objective comparison of their sustainability. This process involves compiling a data inventory that includes information on capital infrastructure, operational inputs (such as energy, water, and chemical additives), and outputs (such as compost, digestate, and biogas). Following this, an impact assessment converts these material flows into environmental impacts such as global warming and eutrophication. LCA enables better informed policy decisions with regards to environmental sustainability.

Biography

Sadie MacDonald obtained her bachelor’s degree in Bioresource Engineering at McGill University (Sep 2019- Dec 2023). She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Bioresource Engineering at McGill University (Jan 2024-Dec 2025). Her research focuses on quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). She also works as a Teaching Assistant for Introductory Physics. She previously worked as an agronomic research intern at Corteva Agriscience and as an undergraduate research assistant in the Sustainable Urban-Rural Futures (SURF) Lab at McGill University. For the latter she studied the environmental impacts of controlled-environment agriculture using LCA and received the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award.