Waste Master Plan
We’re currently reviewing how we deliver waste collection and disposal for our community as we prepare a Waste Master Plan. Learn more about the City’s current waste services, why we need a plan, possible recommendations, and how to provide your input.
What we currently deliver
The City currently delivers the following services:
- Weekly curbside garbage collection (three bags / containers)
- Weekly curbside large item collection
- Curbside yard waste collection on 18 select weeks throughout the year
- Curbside brush collection on six select weeks, including one for Christmas tree collection
- Recycling collection for some institutional, commercial and industrial clients
All these services come at a cost to taxpayers (about $3.1 million annually), representing the single largest outsourced operating cost in the City budget. Each home pays about $2.21 per week for waste collection.
What we don’t currently deliver
The City does not deliver residential recycling collection. The Province of Ontario transferred this responsibility to material producers (Circular Materials Ontario), in 2023.
We also don’t currently deliver organics collection via a green bin program.
Why a Waste Master Plan?
Simply put, we are required to make some changes, not only to meet legislative requirements, but to offset the impacts of waste and landfills on the environment. At the same time, we want to ensure any changes are affordable for our residents. The Provincial government requires us to introduce organics collection as a means to improve diversion rates. To introduce the new program we need to have a plan to ensure we continue to deliver services affordably for our residents.
Diversion rates
Diversion rates are a measurement of how well our community is at separating different types of waste and preventing waste that could be sent elsewhere from ending up in landfill.
We’ve consistently had a diversion rate of 36 per cent, short of other similar municipalities. The provincial municipal average diversion rate is 49.1 per cent.
Landfill capacity across Ontario is dwindling, and when capacity is reached disposal costs may increase as waste must be sent to more remote locations, or new landfills must be developed.
Organic collection
The Province of Ontario has mandated that the City introduce organics collection to increase its diversion rates. Commonly called a green bin program, the City has developed a draft implementation plan for the program.
Diverting organic waste from landfill will help extend landfill capacity, increase diversion rates, and reduce the environmental impact of solid waste.
The program will come at a cost, however, it will alleviate the volume of traditional solid waste we need to collect.
We’re looking at how to most efficiently deliver the program, in addition to other waste collection in a way that our residents can afford.
Current recommendations
While we look to the public for their input, the current draft Waste Master Plan includes several recommendations, including:
- Optimization of collection routes to allow our contractors more efficiency in collections
- Bi-weekly yard waste collection — moving yard waste collection to every other week from April to December as opposed to select weeks, providing clarity in the program and maximizing contractor resources
- Eliminating Christmas Tree collection and possibly opening the Compost Site in January for drop off instead. It is estimated only 1,000 homes utilize the costly Christmas tree collection annually.
- Introducing weekly green bin collection, and reducing garbage collection to every other week — this will help offset costs related to green bin implementation and reflect a reduced need for garbage collection resulting from more waste being diverted into the green bin. With more waste diverted to the green bin, notably waste prone to decomposition, there should be less garbage produced for collection.
- Moving to the use of rolling bins for garbage and organics collections, allowing for easier storage, disposal and collection
- Modifying the large item pickup to an on-demand, fee based service with the option for free drop off
Learn more
Check out this page’s Documents Widget, to review a copy of the draft Waste Master Plan and Food and Organic Waste Program Implementation Plan.
Provide your insight
We have several opportunities for residents to provide their input.
Survey
We have posted a survey to this page to help us better understand your needs and experiences as it relates to waste services. Help us ensure the final plan reflects your input by completing the survey before 4 p.m. on October 22.
Open House
Learn more about the Waste Master Plan, ask questions and provide feedback by attending our open house on October 9 at 7 p.m. in the Kiwanis Room at Pat Stapleton Arena.
