Toronto to consider incineration as landfill capacity dwindles

Toronto’s main landfill is projected to reach capacity by 2035, and the city is now asking residents and businesses to weigh in on how waste should be managed for the next decade and beyond.

With the Green Lane Landfill not able to keep up with the growing amount of waste, the city is exploring alternative methods of waste management, including the controversial option of incineration.

Now in Phase 2 of updating its Long-Term Waste Management Strategy, the city is asking for insight from the public to help guide waste management from 2026 to 2036.

This phase focuses on evaluating options to address the city’s waste management needs and gathering public feedback on potential solutions.

The survey consists of a series of questions, including implementing recycling programs, donation drives and energy-from-waste, which involves converting garbage to electricity or heat by burning it at high temperatures.

This method could counter Toronto’s goal of becoming a zero-waste city and transitioning to a circular economy, as stated on the city’s website.

According to a provincial study done in 2021, it found that by 2034, there will be no remaining landfill capacity in Ontario.

The study found municipalities are beginning to utilize private landfills, which as of 2020 made up 53 per cent of active landfills in the province.

Toronto sends an average of 450,000 tonnes of waste per year to the Green Lane Landfill near St. Thomas, Ont., roughly the equivalent of three CN Towers full of trash.

While the city has managed to slightly extend Green Lane’s lifespan through contract renegotiations and improved compaction practices, the clock is ticking.

Last year alone, the city handled close to 830,000 tonnes of waste across all streams, and Toronto has no suitable land within its borders to build a new site.

Provincial legislation introduced in 2020, known as Bill 197, allows municipalities to veto any proposed landfill site within 3.5 km of their residential boundaries, further limiting the city’s already slim options.

The consultation period is open until June 29, and residents are encouraged to participate.

— with files from Aaron D’Andrea

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