Ontario Government consulting on proposed actions to address landfill capacity and undertaking review of the Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario
The Government of Ontario has launched a 30-day consultation on proposed legislative and regulatory changes to address landfill capacity, increase waste diversion and support resource recovery.
The consultation also includes a review of the Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario. The strategy sets out Ontario’s vision for a circular economy and supports the legislation enforced by RPRA: the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA) and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 (WDTA).
The proposed legislative and regulatory changes include:
- Amending the Environmental Assessment Act to remove the requirement for ‘municipal support’ for new landfill proposals
- Amending the Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement to provide flexibility and improve tracking of organics diversion
- Amendments to regulations (under the Environmental Protection Act) that govern recycling in the industrial, commercial and institutional (IC&I) sector to enable improved diversion
Note: The acts/regulations mentioned in the above bullets are not enforced by RPRA.
Stakeholders and the public can submit comments on the proposed changes through the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) until November 26, 2026.