Description
Organic matter that is disposed of in landfills breaks down into methane, which is 25 times more damaging to our climate than carbon dioxide, so diverting organics from landfills significantly reduces emissions. As our community transitions off of fossil fuels, local landfills may also be an increasingly important resource to generate renewable energy from landfill matter and gas. As the organization that operates the only landfill located in Waterloo Region and provides a lot of residential waste collection, the Region evaluates and implements best practices for diversion, waste reduction, gas capture, and energy generation through its waste operations.
This action will be led by the Region of Waterloo. Please see the task breakdown below for the most recent publicly available updates.
To learn more about the Region of Waterloo's waste management programs click here.
As mentioned in the ClimateActionWR Our Progress, Our Path 2020 report, between 4,000-6,000 houses in Waterloo Region are provided electricity each year by gas captured from the Waterloo landfill gas utilization system.
Garbage bag collections limits were reduced to 3 bags every two weeks in the fall of 2022 to encourage more use of recycling and the green bin. Click here to learn more.