NEWS RELEASE
COUNTY OF WELLINGTON
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KENILWORTH, ON- On Thursday, during National Public Works Week, the County of Wellington officially opened the expanded “Phase II” portion of its Riverstown Landfill. Phase I of the Riverstown Landfill site has been in operation since 1971. In 2001, the county assumed the responsibility for all municipally owned landfill sites. The County was successful in receiving approval to expand the landfill in order to secure future landfill capacity.
With Phase I of the landfill anticipated to reach its approved capacity this year, the landfill expansion is estimated to meet the county’s waste disposal needs for another 24 years.
“The decision this Council made to introduce the new green bin and leaf and yard waste services has been incredibly important,” said Warden Kelly Linton. “Diverting these materials from landfill is expected to extend the Riverstown landfill life by an additional 5 years. Not only have these programmes helped preserve our landfill capacity, but they are yet another example of the county’s commitment to environmental excellence.”
A recent report by the Ontario Waste Management Association estimates that without new waste disposal capacity developed in the province, Ontario will be out of landfill space in 14 years. If waste is ever restricted at the border to the United States, the province’s landfill capacity would decrease to only 11 years.
“Ontario is in a landfill capacity crisis,” said Solid Waste Services Chair Gregg Davidson. “Due to the foresight of staff and investments made by current and previous County Council members, the county is very well-positioned to extend the life of our landfill.”
The Solid Waste Services Strategy document outlines a high priority for increasing waste diversion and reducing waste. The Strategy also identifies a goal of extending the life of the county’s only active landfill site by expanding waste diversion services, resident education and adopting circular economy principles.
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