Toronto struggles to find places for its waste

Toronto is grappling with an escalating waste management crisis as its landfill capacity approaches its limit. New provincial legislation giving municipalities veto power over new landfill sites is making the problem nearly impossible to solve.

The Green Lane Landfill, Toronto’s primary waste disposal site about 200 km west of the city, is projected to reach capacity by 2035. With no available land within its municipal boundaries to construct a large-scale landfill, the city must look to other jurisdictions to dispose of its garbage. 

However, provisions in the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act requiring municipal approvals for new landfills is challenging the city’s efforts to find additional landfill capacity.

Charlotte Ueta, acting director of policy, planning and outreach for the city of Toronto’s solid waste management services, told Canada’s National Observer that burning waste, while not a preferred option, could still be part of the solution.

In 2023, Torontonians generated 830,000 tonnes of garbage. Of that, a bit more than half — 430,000 tonnes — was diverted from the landfill through Green Bin, Blue Bin, and yard waste programs. That was an increase from the 377,825 tonnes diverted in 2022, however, not nearly enough to solve the landfill problem. The city still sends an average of 450,000 tonnes (more than three CN Towers’ worth) of waste annually to the Green Lane Landfill.

So far, efforts to extend its lifespan, by renegotiating contracts and redirecting waste to other landfills, can provide only temporary relief at best, a city waste management report states.

Diversion

It has never been easy to find places to build new landfills. But Bill 197, which granted municipal councils the authority to approve or reject new landfill developments within 3.5 kilometres of their boundaries, made it even harder. While this change empowers small towns to exert greater control over new landfill projects, it does not apply to expansions of existing landfill sites. 

Still, experts warn the new rule poses significant challenges for larger cities like Toronto, which rely heavily on remote landfill sites to manage waste.

Ueta said while it looks for a longer-term solution, the city is focused on diverting as much waste as possible from the landfill through reduction, recycling, and composting programs.

The city recycling program processes materials like paper, plastics, and containers into new products, Ueta said, while the Green Bin program converts organic waste into compost and renewable natural gas. The city also enforces rules to reduce single-use plastics, and these efforts have helped lower landfill waste by 0.5 per cent to one per cent each year, she added.

Dr. Bassim Abbassi, professor and director of the Ontario Rural Wastewater Centre at the University of Guelph, said community opposition to new waste disposal sites often stems from misconceptions about modern environmental facility design. 

Today's facilities, including landfills, meet strict environmental and safety standards, featuring advanced technology, like monitoring systems and emissions controls, to protect public health and minimize environmental impact, he said in a phone interview with Canada's National Observer.

Nonetheless, it is better to invest in enhanced recycling and waste-reduction programs to encourage producers to manage the lifecycle of their products with a circular economy, he said. There are many examples of successful programs that focus on minimizing waste generation at its origin through better product design and changes in consumer behavior, Abbassi added.

Even if a new site is found tomorrow, it will be a long road before a new landfill opens. A spokesperson for the city told Canada's National Observer that obtaining regulatory approvals, completing planning, and constructing new waste disposal infrastructure can take more than a decade.

Toronto’s looming garbage crisis is emblematic of a broader province-wide challenge, with Ontario expected to run out of landfill space entirely by 2034.

According to a 2023 report from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the province’s total waste grew seven per cent since 2017, with two-thirds of it coming from industrial, commercial, and institutional sources like restaurants, factories, and construction projects. According to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, the province kept 53 per cent of its recyclables from landfills in 2021. However, that was a decline from a decade prior. 

Despite multiple requests for an interview, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment did not provide comments in time for publication.

Meanwhile, Ontario is still dumping billions of bottles and cans while other provinces profit from a deposit-return recycling system. Despite 81 per cent of Ontarians supporting such a system, last year the Ford Progressive Conservative government scrapped the non-alcoholic drink container deposit-return program, citing cost concerns “for small businesses and families,” without providing any estimates.

Local resistance

Citing environmental concerns, residents are fighting back in places where opening new landfills or additional landfill space are proposed. 

That’s no surprise to Abbassi. People have long resisted having environmental facilities, including landfills, wastewater treatment plants and incinerators in their communities — a phenomenon commonly referred to as “not in my backyard” (NIMBY), he said.

“This resistance is driven by concerns about potential environmental risks, health impacts, and diminished property values,” Abbassi said.

The reluctance isn’t limited to the public. 

“Even within government offices, there can be hesitation or resistance to approve such projects for fear of political backlash or public opposition,” Abbassi said.

Higher levels of governments have a short-term focus on election cycles and often push off unpopular waste management decisions that are unlikely to become urgent within four years.

Local governments simply don’t want the environmental risks of waste disposal, particularly when the garbage comes from elsewhere.

That’s certainly the case in Dresden, a community of 2,401 people in Chatham-Kent, where York1 Environmental Waste Solutions has proposed reopening and expanding a dormant landfill less than two kilometres from the community. The plan could see up to 6,000 tonnes of solid waste coming to the facility every day, mostly from the Greater Toronto Area. But the proposal has met with strong opposition from residents and local officials.

The Chatham-Kent council has formally opposed the project and written to Ontario's environment minister to reject it, as well. Residents have formed a community group called Dresden C.A.R.E.D. (Citizens Against Reckless Environmental Disposal) to oppose the project, citing risks to groundwater, air quality, species at risk, property values and public health from the noise, water pollution, odour and traffic. The proposed 25-hectare landfill and recycling operation was planned for a site used for incinerator ash disposal over 40 years ago. 

“This is a badly designed project in the wrong location,” said Stefan Premdas, executive director of the Dresden C.A.R.E.D. alliance. The municipality meets the benchmark for distance and effective project rejection based on water and sewage impacts and intends to use Bill 197 provisions to veto the project.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks says it has responded to local concerns by requiring a comprehensive environmental assessment under the Environmental Assessment Act for the project. But even with an environmental assessment approval, the community has the right to kill the project, Premdas said. The group has hired legal and environmental experts to fight back.

Chatham-Kent already hosts a massive private landfill for commercial and industrial waste from across Ontario, primarily from Toronto.

Coun. Jamie McGrail, who represents Dresden on the Chatham-Kent Council and opposed the proposal, said that York1 Environmental Waste Solutions used an amendment process to significantly expand a decades-old landfill originally intended for ashes and minor household waste.

Canada's National Observer reached out to the company, but did not receive comment in time for publication.

McGrail stressed the need for policy changes, pointing out that provincial rules impose stricter requirements on new landfills than on expansions, creating loopholes like this project. All landfill projects should be required to meet the same standards for compliance and transparency to protect communities and the environment, she said. 

One thing is certain: garbage can’t disappear on its own and new solutions are needed. The province is projected to generate 17 million tonnes of waste annually by mid-century. At this rate, Ontario will require 16 new or expanded landfills to meet future demands. Yet, under current legislative frameworks and the slow approval process, it can take more than 10 years for a new landfill to become operational, meaning the mid-century goal will be very difficult to meet, according to a report from the Association of Municipalities Ontario.

Peter Hargreave, president of Policy Integrity Inc. and a long-time waste policy advisor, says if the provincial government restricts building new landfill sites, it must take significant steps to reduce the amount of waste the province generates. The provincial government will have to lend more support to waste-reduction programs, raise diversion rates, and promote reuse and refill systems. Without these measures, he said, the problem will only get worse.

Abdul Matin Sarfraz / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative