Ontario faces a looming landfill crisis, with capacity expected to be exhausted within the next decade. Premier Doug Ford's government blames potential U.S. tariffs or a cutoff of garbage shipments for the need to expand controversial landfill projects like York1 near Dresden. Experts warn that Ontario, which sends a third of its waste to the U.S., lacks the infrastructure to manage its own waste if borders close. Critics argue the government has failed to implement long-term waste diversion strategies, such as increasing recycling rates for businesses and institutions, or exploring waste-to-energy facilities.
Canada-U.S. trade war could spark an 'immediate crisis' in Ontario's landfills
DresdenOntarioUnited StatesGovernment of OntarioPremier Doug FordBusinessEnvironmentRecyclingWaste management
AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Ontario faces a looming landfill crisis, with capacity expected to be exhausted within the next decade. Premier Doug Ford's government blames potential U.S. tariffs or a cutoff of garbage shipments for the need to expand controversial landfill projects like York1 near Dresden. Experts warn that Ontario, which sends a third of its waste to the U.S., lacks the infrastructure to manage its own waste if borders close. Critics argue the government has failed to implement long-term waste diversion strategies, such as increasing recycling rates for businesses and institutions, or exploring waste-to-energy facilities.
Trending- 1 Ontario sent one-third of its waste to U.S. between 2006 and 2022
- 2 Liberal government set waste diversion goals for 2030 and 2050 in 2017
- 3 Auditor General's report in 2021
- 4 Follow-up audit from Lysyk's office in 2023
- Potential "immediate crisis" if U.S. closes borders to Canadian waste
- Exhaustion of Ontario's landfill capacity within a decade
- Increased pressure to expand controversial landfill projects
- Failure to meet waste diversion targets set for 2030 and 2050
- Concerns about loosening environmental assessment rules for landfills
- Need for enhanced disposal and diversion methods, including waste-to-energy facilities
What: Ontario faces a potential "immediate crisis" in its landfills due to rapidly diminishing capacity, exacerbated by the threat of U.S. tariffs or a cutoff of Canadian waste shipments. The provincial government is pushing for landfill expansions, but experts argue this is a temporary solution and long-term waste diversion strategies are needed.
When: Ontario's landfill capacity is expected to be exhausted over the next decade. Ontario sent one-third of its waste to three American states between 2006 and 2022. The province's auditor general issued a damning report in 2021, with a follow-up audit in 2023 showing little progress. The previous Liberal government set waste diversion goals for 2030 and 2050 in 2017.
Where: Ontario, specifically Dresden, and Michigan (U.S.).
Why: Ontario has historically relied heavily on the U.S. for waste disposal (sending one-third of its waste). The threat of U.S. tariffs or border closure for waste, combined with Ontario's growing population and insufficient waste diversion efforts (especially from businesses and institutions), is leading to a landfill capacity crunch.
How: The Ford government is using the U.S. tariff threat as a rationale to reopen and expand landfills like York1. Experts propose solutions such as enhanced waste diversion (e.g., plastic bottle deposit, "right to repair," organics diversion) and potentially waste-to-energy facilities, while critics highlight the government's inaction on previous recommendations. The York1 project is undergoing environmental processes and provincial oversight.