Ontario finalizes amendments to Excess Soil Regulation
The Government of Ontario has finalized amendments to the Excess Soil Regulation and Rules for Soil Management and Excess Soil Quality Standards (Soil Rules).
These amendments are in addition to those announced by the government in December 2024, including the delay of the landfill ban for excess soil, which followed the public consultation from October to November 2024.
Amendments include:
- Exempt aggregate reuse depots from a requirement for a waste environmental compliance approval (ECA), subject to certain conditions
- Enhanced reuse opportunities for recycled engineered aggregate and stormwater management pond sediment
- Reuse between infrastructure project areas and reuse sites that are infrastructure undertakings
- Reduced reuse planning requirements for excess soil moved between infrastructure projects (a notice in the Excess Soil Registry is still required)
- Allowing in-situ sampling for stormwater management pond sediment
For full details, read the decision notice on the Environmental Registry of Ontario.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks will share additional guidance materials and host information sessions on these amendments in the coming months.
If you have questions related to the regulation, please email the ministry at [email protected] or visit the ministry’s Handling Excess Soil website.
If you have questions related to how these amendments may impact reporting in the Excess Soil Registry, please contact RPRA’s Compliance and Registry Team at [email protected].