As a Torontonian, it’s hard not to feel a growing urgency when we talk about waste. The city is currently sending nearly 450,000 tonnes of garbage each year to the Green Lane Landfill — a site already nearing its capacity — and we’re staring down a deadline that’s barely a blink away in civic terms. The city estimates it will be full by 2035. That’s a little more than a single electoral cycle.
The reality is we simply can’t keep up with this trajectory. The amount of waste we produce is growing, and we have limited options to dispose of it. Provincial legislation, particularly Bill 197, makes it nearly impossible to find new landfill sites close to home, while the 2021 provincial study underscores a dramatic drop in available landfill space across Ontario.
So here we are at a crossroads. The city is currently consulting Torontonians about the future of waste management from 2026 to 2036, putting forward a range of options — from improving recycling programs and donation drives, to more ambitious (and more contentious) solutions like energy-from-waste, which involves burning garbage at high temperatures to generate energy.
Some say this is a step backwards, adding to emissions and straining air quality. But we need to be realistic. There are no perfect solutions here; we have hard choices to make. If we ignore the problem, we will soon find ourselves sending waste farther and farther away, adding to both financial and environmental costs.
The path forward must be a balanced approach. We should maximize diversion — through education, incentives, donation programs, and a robust recycling system — while at the same time exploring technologies to deal with what’s left in a responsible and forward-thinking way. Incineration, for all its controversy, might be part of that mix if we can implement it safely and efficiently.
Ultimately, we need open dialogue and strong civic engagement. The city’s survey, available until June 29, is an opportunity for all Torontonians to weigh in on these choices. So I say: let’s not miss it. The future of our city depends on the decisions we make today.
