Toronto’s ability to handle landfill garbage nearing capacity, city warns

The City of Toronto is warning its ability to handle garbage at its landfill will hit capacity in 10 years, and finding a new landfill won't be easy.

The City of Toronto is warning its ability to handle garbage at its landfill is nearing capacity.

It says the Green Lane Landfill, which the city has owned since 2007, will not be able to keep up with the amount of waste the city’s growing population is producing.

Staff are warning the city it needs an updated long-term waste strategy, and they’re turning to the public through a series of consultations for help on it.

“The timing of these public consultations is important as the city’s-owned Green Lane Landfill, a state-of-the-art facility that manages the majority of Toronto’s garbage, will approach capacity in 2035,” the city said in a November news release.

“Last year alone, the city managed close to 830,000 tonnes of waste. It is critical to start planning now, as planning, regulatory approvals and construction of new waste disposal infrastructure can take more than 10 years.”

The city last updated its long-term waste management strategy in 2016, and was warned then its landfill, which is located near St. Thomas, Ont., was reaching the end of its lifespan.

That lifespan, the city says on its website, is dependent on the rate that waste is sent for disposal. The less waste produced, the less there is to manage. However, a rising population and steady waste production levels means Green Lane will not be a viable option for much longer.

The city has tried to extend the landfill’s lifespan, staff said in a May 2023 report. Staff said to date, they have renegotiated the contract with the landfill’s operator to send less waste there without incurring additional fees.