Ontario introduced a bill to let large landfill proposals enter environmental assessment without required municipal support, as a U.S. 50% duty on specified Canadian waste imports is due to take effect Friday.
The proposal would remove the requirement that host and certain nearby municipalities support a large landfill before an assessment is submitted. Those municipalities could still provide input during the review, according to the Ontario Environmental Registry. The province says it relies on U.S. facilities to manage about 25% of its waste and has approved only one large new landfill in the past 20 years.
At an Oct. 1 legislative committee hearing, Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said about 40% of Ontario's waste is diverted to Michigan and New York. Waste to Resource Ontario, an industry association, estimated that 3.44 million tonnes were sent to the United States in 2024, equal to 27% of the 12.75 million tonnes it said Ontario landfilled that year. The provincial and industry figures, as well as McCarthy's estimate, use different descriptions and denominators; the sources do not reconcile them.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation Oct. 23 setting an additional 50% duty on specified Canadian tariff classifications, including municipal waste, sewage sludge and clinical waste. The duty applies to covered goods entered for consumption from 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, Oct. 30. The proclamation lists particular categories rather than waste generally.
The Canadian Press reported that McCarthy estimated Ontario's landfills could be full within 10 years, or within five years if the duty changes waste flows. Waste to Resource Ontario projects capacity depletion by 2037 if exports continue, and by 2034 in a scenario where U.S. access closes. That is a different scenario from the tariff-related change McCarthy described.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) counted about 3.19 million tons of Canadian-origin waste at Michigan landfills in fiscal 2025, down 7.95% from the previous year and equal to 14.11% of landfill disposal in the state. EGLE's total covers waste from Canada as a whole, so it does not isolate Ontario shipments.
Ontario also proposes recognizing municipal waste's biogenic content as renewable energy, which could allow some facilities to use a single renewable-energy approval process. The Canadian Press reported that McCarthy cited economic benefits for communities hosting such facilities. It also reported that Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner raised concerns about incinerator emissions and ash, saying, “People do not want toxic air pollution in their backyard.”
Ontario's consultation on landfill-capacity actions is scheduled to close Nov. 26. The province also plans to review its Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario in 2027.
