A private landfill wants Ottawa's trash

“In seeking this approval, the CRRRC will be better positioned to be part of the solution for the City of Ottawa’s current and developing waste management challenges.”

Published Mar 21, 2024 • Last updated 14 hours ago • 2 minute read

An August 2023 file photo of the Trail Road Waste Facility, which is expected to be at capacity in 13-15 years. Photo by Julie Oliver /POSTMEDIA

A massive new private landfill has applied to take household trash from Ottawa as the city continues to weigh its options for waste disposal after the Trail Road landfill reaches capacity.

Companies behind the Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre have applied to Ontario’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to accept residential waste from single-family homes. The proposed facility is already approved for residual commercial and industrial waste, recycling and more.

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Located on 475 acres in east Ottawa at the intersection of Highway 417 and Boundary Road, the CRRRC is still in the design phase and isn’t yet in operation. Once it opens, though, it will have a capacity of 450,000 tonnes of waste per year.

The City of Ottawa is developing a new waste management master plan, but “the CRRRC aims to be a key player in sustainable waste management in Eastern Ontario, offering one of the only integrated waste management facilities in the country,” Denis Goulet, vice-chair of Miller Waste Systems, said in a statement.

Goulet’s statement added that the landfill had already received approval to take in garbage from condos and apartment buildings, but was now asking to add curbside garbage from single-family homes.

“In seeking this approval, the CRRRC will be better positioned to be part of the solution for the City of Ottawa’s current and developing waste management challenges,” the statement added.

But, Goulet clarified, the city has not committed to using the new facility.

“This strategic move comes at a crucial time when municipalities, including Ottawa, are grappling with the challenges of increasing waste volumes and limited waste disposal options. We believe that adding residential waste to the approved waste categories for the CRRRC can play an important role in helping to meet these challenges,” Goulet said.

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The Trail Road Waste Facility, Ottawa’s largest waste site, is nearly full. As it stands, Ottawans throw out almost 1,000 tonnes of trash daily, and the 200-acre Trail Road facility is expected to be at capacity within 13-15 years. By then, trash will have reached the height of a nine-storey building, the maximum allowed by the Province of Ontario.

In a memo to Ottawa’s mayor and council on Thursday, Alain Gonthier, general manager of the city’s public works department, said the city was aware of the Capital Region Resource Recovery Centre’s request to accept residential waste.

“While this is a private facility with no involvement with the city from a waste perspective, staff want to ensure members of council are aware of pending changes as this facility is located within the limits of the City of Ottawa,” Gonthier said.

The city declined further comment on Thursday.

READ MORE: Why Quebec’s “wild west” wants Ottawa’s garbage

Goulet said the construction timeline would be finalized after the facility’s approval process and design had been completed.

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