Toronto Solid Waste Management Services is the municipal service that handles the transfer and disposal of garbage as well as the processing and sale of recyclable materials collected through the

blue box A blue box is an Electronics, electronic device that produces tones used to generate the in-band signaling tones formerly used within the North American long-distance telephone network to send line status and called number information over voi ...

program in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It serves approximately 870,000 homes and non-residential establishments. It also coordinates programs to help residents and business reduce their production of waste.

History

Under Mayor

Rob Ford Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobi ...

, the City began to look at ways to cut cost on waste management. One solution was for contracting out waste collection services to private contractors. With the exception of

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...

, the rest of Toronto's waste services employees were civic staff. In

services are contracted out to Turtle Island Recycling Company of

since 2008. Transport of waste from transfer stations to landfills are contracted out to Republic Services Canada Incorporated of

Dundas, Ontario Dundas () is a community and urban district in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is nicknamed ''Valley Town'' because of its topographical location at the bottom of the Niagara Escarpment on the we ...

and Wilson Logistics Incorporated of

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Beginning in the mid-2012, a new contractor began residential pickup services.

GFL Environmental GFL Environmental Inc. (an initialism of Green For Life) is a Canadian waste management company, with headquarters in Vaughan, Ontario. Founded in 2007, GFL operates in all provinces in Canada and much of the United States, and currently employ ...

from

Pickering, Ontario Pickering (2021 Canadian census, 2021 population 99,186) is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada, immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region, Ontario, Durham Region. Beginning in the 1770s, the area was settled by primarily British colon ...

began to service the city west of

Yonge Street Yonge Street ( ') is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Great Lakes#Geography, Upper Great Lakes. Ontario's first colonial administrator, ...

and east of Etobicoke. In October 2011, the city nor contractors have indicated if current waste staff will be hired back to work on the two contracts, but in December GFL acquired Turtle Island Recycling and took over the remaining term of the former contract from December 2011 and will be replaced by Miller Waste Systems beginning in 2015.

Facilities

The division manages four collections yards, one maintenance yard, seven transfer stations, six household hazardous waste depots, two organics processing facilities, Green Lane Landfill and 160 former landfills.

Former landfills

There are 160 former dumps located within the former city of Toronto and former Metro Toronto area but most have been redeveloped in the 20th Century: * Harper's Dump - located in what is

Greenwood Subway Yard The Greenwood Yard (also known as the Greenwood Complex) is a rail yard with support buildings that service subway vehicles on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway. Greenwood is one of two subway yards on Line 2, the other being the ...

and used during the 1930s * Riverdale Park - used for a single year in 1960 By the later 20th Century Toronto and previously Metro Toronto have used a number of sites mostly close to the city to handle solid waste collected: * Keele Valley Landfill - former landfill owned and used by Metro Toronto from 1983 (Toronto since 1998 to 2002) to deal with waste from all municipalities that now make up Toronto. Now sits idle until 2028 when re-development can commence. * Britannia Landfill - former landfill in

Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

took Metro Toronto and Toronto waste. Closed in 2002. * Beare Road Landfill - former Metro Toronto landfill from 1967 to 1983 located in Scarborough. * Brock Road Landfills - former landfill used by Metro Toronto from 1975 to 1990s in neighbouring communities of Pickering and Ajax. By the late 1980s and 1990s the locate site were near capacity forcing authorities to look beyond for landfill to take their waste: *

Adams Mine Adams Mine is an abandoned open pit iron ore mine located in the Boston Township of the District of Timiskaming, south of Kirkland Lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the Canadian Shield. History The iron ore depo ...

- former iron ore pit mine that was slated to take Toronto waste in the 1990s, but rejected by then Metro Toronto council. * Green Lane landfill - landfill near

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

and purchased by Toronto in 2006 to handle waste from the city. * Carleton Farms Landfill - landfill in

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the List of the most populous counties in the United States, 19th ...

that accepted Toronto's garbage from 2002 to 2006.

Business sections

Collections & Litter Operations

Collections & Litter Operations provides collection of garbage, blue bin recycling, green bin organics, yard waste, oversized and metal items. They also provide litter cleaning operations on sidewalks across the city, and service litter receptacles throughout city streets and parks. In addition, they provide services to special events, including the provision of Blue and Green Bins and collection of the materials. Community Environment Day events are also overseen by Collections & Litter Operations.

Customer Service & Waste Diversion Operations

The Customer Service & Waste Diversion Operations section was established to support the division in its goal of improving customer service and implementing new diversion initiatives.

Transfer Station & Landfill Operations

Transfer Station & Landfill Operations is responsible for managing the performance and maintenance of the City’s network of facilities, including numerous closed landfill sites. The section is also responsible for the upkeep and repairs of an additional four operating and maintenance yards.

Policy, Planning & Outreach

Policy, Planning & Outreach is responsible for monitoring trends in the solid waste industry and advising on policy and planning of new programs, program enhancements and new technologies. It provides technical review and comments on internal and external regulations, legislation, statutes and policies. The section coordinates research, design and drafting of harmonized programs, policies, eligibility criteria and bylaws to support operations. In addition to working with various orders of government to coordinate new policies and programs and their impacts to residents of Toronto, the section is also responsible for community and stakeholder outreach, working closely with the media to provide messaging on new and upcoming policy/program changes, as well as setting guidelines and policies for health and safety and environmental compliance for the entire division.

Business Services

Business Services manages the division’s financial planning, accounting, procurement, contract management and IT-related functions. It is also responsible for managing Divisional procurement plans and initiatives as well as providing oversight and administration of the division’s contract portfolio including contract life-cycle management and compliance-related activities. In addition, the section provides internal IT support and is responsible for delivering the divisional IT project portfolio and managing the development, implementation and sustainment of Divisional IT assets and applications.

Infrastructure & Resource Management

Infrastructure & Resource Management is responsible for the division’s physical assets throughout their complete lifecycle, from initial design and construction; to commissioning and start-up; to meeting major maintenance and rehabilitation requirements during the life of the asset; to the eventual retirement and disposal of the asset. In addition, the section is responsible for the management of contracts for processing of recycling, organics, yard waste, mattresses and ceramics from the City’s collection programs as well as the sales of separated recyclables to market. Materials are transferred to various facilities (City-owned and non-City-owned) for processing and sales.

References

{{Toronto Landfills in Canada Municipal government of Toronto