In a recent sampling of landfill site waste, the city found that 50.7 per cent of it could have been diverted using programs which are already available<\/p>\n
Greater Sudburians aren\u2019t doing as much as they could to divert waste from city landfill sites.<\/p>\n
This is a key conclusion to a presentation city Environmental Services director Ren\u00e9e Brownlee delivered to city council members during their June 15 operations committee meeting.<\/p>\n
Approximately half of material that goes into city landfill sites can be diverted using existing programs, and more than that if programs were to be expanded.<\/p>\n
As such, if all Greater Sudburians made use of the green cart organics and blue box recycling programs that already exist, they could already roughly double the life of city landfill sites from 25 years to 50.<\/p>\n
On the city\u2019s current trajectory, all three active landfill sites will close within 25 years, with Azilda and Hanmer sites expected to shutter first, followed by the Sudbury site.<\/p>\n
The cost of opening three new equivalent sites in today\u2019s dollars is estimated at approximately $200 million, with the Sudbury site alone estimated at $100 million.<\/p>\n
That is, if the province approves future landfill sites.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody\u2019s in a scramble right now,\u201d Brownlee told city council members, adding that some are shipping waste as far away as Michigan, which is much more costly than maintaining a local site.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not the only municipality doing this,\u201d she said of the struggle to shore up future landfill space, adding that all municipalities are \u201ctrying to do our best to make our existing assets last for as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
An October 2025 examination of 42 residential and non-residential waste samples saw waste separated into 67 material types and grouped into seven waste stream categories to determine how much of it could have been diverted from municipal landfill sites.<\/p>\n
They extrapolated these samples to estimate that approximately half of the 89.8-million kg of waste that entered city landfill sites in the 12 months beginning September 2024 could have been diverted using existing city diversion programs.<\/p>\n
Of this waste, approximately 36 per cent is residential (31,907,780 kg), of which 56 per cent (17,874,800 kg) could have been diverted.<\/p>\n
The 64-per-cent balance (57,884,330 kg) is non-residential, of which 48 per cent (27,660,300 kg) could have been diverted.<\/p>\n
Total diversion opportunities using existing programs include:<\/p>\n
\n\t24,063,420 kg in green cart organics
\n\t14,860,410 kg in blue box recyclables
\n\t6,611,270 kg in construction, renovation and demolition with and without existing diversion programs
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trucks are already going by, the green carts are already available,\u201d Brownlee said. \u201cIt\u2019s there, we just need to get people using it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later on in the meeting, Brownlee added, “This is a community problem, therefore, it has to be the community that puts in the work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Separating waste into three bins \u2013 garbage, recycling and organics \u2013 is \u201cnot a lot of work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Agreeing with this sentiment, Ward 4 Coun. Pauline Fortin added, \u201cIt would be nice to have more participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, green cart organics use<\/a> has stagnated alongside blue box use.<\/p>\n Public education is one solution, Brownlee said, and the city is looking to expand waste diversion programs\u2019 availability. Staff plan on tabling a report sometime next year which puts forward a plan for a permanent organics processing facility.<\/p>\n The city currently maintains an open air windrow processing system at the Sudbury landfill site for organics, which takes up a lot of land and has always been considered temporary.<\/p>\n A permanent facility will allow the city greater capacity to expand into industrial, commercial and institutional organics processing.<\/p>\n Incentives will also be looked at, with Fortin pushing for \u201ccarrot as opposed to stick.\u201d<\/p>\n Fortin has joined other city council members by pushing back against the city adopting a clear garbage bag mandate, even though it has proven effective at diverting waste<\/a> from landfill sites virtually everywhere it has been tried.<\/p>\n Clear garbage bags allow staff to immediately determine whether there\u2019s material in curbside bags which shouldn\u2019t be there, and they can decline to pick it up. It essentially forces residents to participate in green cart organics and blue bin recycling programs.<\/p>\n The City of Orillia mandated clear garbage bags in early 2022. By the end of the program\u2019s first year, they reported a curbside garbage reduction of 38 per cent.<\/p>\n During the June 15 meeting, Ward 8 Coun. Al Sizer, who is not seeking re-election in the Oct. 26 civic election, said the next city council would need to make \u201csome very difficult decisions\u201d to meet its landfill diversion goals. These include achieving 90 per cent solid waste diversion by 2050, per the city\u2019s Community Energy and Emissions Plan.<\/p>\n A clear garbage bag mandate, he said, \u201cwill certainly assist\u201d in reaching this target.<\/p>\n In addition to the economic angle, there\u2019s also an environmental bent to convincing Greater Sudburians to use the green cart organics program currently available.<\/p>\n