Landfill

If you are only using the recycling, hazardous waste and e-waste areas, you don't have to cross the scales and there is no charge.

Take the second right after entering the facility from Mapleward Road to access the household recycling, household hazardous waste and e-waste depots.

If you have other items, you'll need to drive through the scales.

In compliance with Ontario Regulations, all vehicles coming to the main landfill site must be weighed in and out. Residential vehicles including cars, vans and half-ton trucks must stop at the public weigh scale kiosk to be weighed in before proceeding to the main landfill site.

After passing the scales, keep right and your next stop is the public drop-off area where you'll find bins for metals, tires, bulky items, clean wood, and garbage. You can drive from bin to bin, depositing waste into the appropriate area. Attendants are on hand to provide advice, but customers must sort and separate their loads before leaving home.

If you have leaf and yard waste, leave the public drop-off area, turn right, and drive to the leaf and yard waste area on your left near the main landfill tipping face, to deposit your leaf and yard waste.

You will return to weigh scale kiosk be weighed out and pay your tipping fee (minimum $10 for up to 120 kg - see "Tipping Fees" below).

Commercial vehicles, including City waste packers, proceed directly to automated commercial scales by taking the first right upon entering the facility from Mapleward Road. This traffic flow improves efficiency, reduces wait times for all users, and encourages recycling and proper waste management.

How to Use the Automated Scales for Registered Commercial Vehicles

Industrial, Commercial, Institutional (ICI) customers can to use our automated scales if:

• You become a registered hauler and have an account with the City of Thunder Bay.
• You permanently attach the Radio Frequency Identification (RF) barcode sticker that you receive upon registering to the driver’s side windshield of the truck that will be hauling.
• The truck you use to haul has the same container full or empty.
• The truck you use to haul has the same size roll-off each time.

Getting there: The entrance to the facility is on Mapleward Road between Oliver Road and John Street Road. (The old entrance on John Street Road is closed.)

Entering: Once you enter through the main gate on Mapleward, the roadway to the automated commercial scale is the first right. Follow these steps:

• Approach the gate. The loop detectors will recognize your vehicle and open the gate.
• Proceed to the scale. As you approach the scale, the RF reader will capture your information from your barcode sticker. Once you are on the scale, your truck’s gross weight will register. All other pertinent information will already have been stored for you.
• If you are a customer who hauls more than one commodity, choose the commodity you are hauling on the computer screen and press “Enter”.
• Take the ticket. Proceed to the main tipping face.

If your tare weight has expired: A message will appear on the scale’s computer screen that says the tare has expired and you will have to re-tare on the outbound kiosk scale after dumping your load. You will not recieve a printed ticket for this transaction.

Exiting: As you exit, use the following process:

• Exit the site by driving in the bypass lane next to the public scale kiosk.
• You will not have to weigh out, as your tare weight will be stored in the system. An RF reader in the bypass lane will recognize your vehicle’s exit.

For more information or questions on commercial use or accounts, contact the Solid Waste & Recycling Facility at 807-767-9472.

Loads weighing up to 120 kg: $10

Non-hazardous solid waste over 120 kg: $94.65 per tonne

Non-hazardous (approved) contaminated soil: $45.17 per tonne

Revenues from these fees finance the operation of the landfill site. Correct change is appreciated. You may pay by cash, debit, MasterCard or Visa.

View the Non-profit Organizations Waiver of Tipping Fees Application Form (PDF).

Before leaving home, please sort your load so that you can easily deposit non-garbage items into the following areas and appropriate bins at the landfill site:

• Recycling Depot - paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, tetra-packs, milk cartons, aluminum or metal cans, all #1 through #7 plastic containers (e.g. drink bottles, soap bottles, salad and fruit containers). See circularmaterials.ca/thunderbay for a current list of accepted recyclable materials. Containers must be rinsed of any liquid or food residue.
• Household Hazardous Waste Depot, and e-Waste (electronic waste) Depot
• Public Drop-off Area Bins: garbage, metal (anything containing metal), scrap tires, bulky items (like mattresses), etc.
• Leaf and Yard Waste Area

If recyclable or compostable material is brought in with regular garbage, it must be clearly separated from the garbage on the load.

Always take the time to tarp and secure your load before you leave home. Unsecured loads are subject to fines through the Highway Traffic Act.

Accepted

• Only garbage generated within the District of Thunder Bay is accepted at the landfill site
• Any scrap metal can be recycled. Any item with metal in it should be placed in the "Metals" bin. Freezers, air conditioners and refrigerators contain recyclable metals and must display a tag or notice signed by a certified technician indicating that the fluorocarbons (Freon, R-12, CFCs, HCFCs or HFCs) have been removed. Once cleared at the kiosk, these items can be left in the "Metals" bin at the Public Waste Disposal area.
• Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs can be recycled free of charge at the facility's Household Hazardous Waste Depot during regular landfill hours.
• Empty, dry paint cans should be deposited in the metal laydown area. Partial cans of paint and all other household hazardous waste can be deposited free of charge at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot.
• There is no longer a surcharge for the disposal of scrap tires. A drop-off bin for tires is located in the Public Drop-off Area. Visit the Ontario Tire Stewardship website for more information on tire collection locations.
• Management of asbestos waste is subject to specific Regulations under Ontario's Environmental Protection Act. The Solid Waste and Recycling Facility currently accepts asbestos provided certain conditions are met. For more information on disposal, contact the Supervisor – Landfill Operations at 807-625-3392.

Not Accepted

• Non-tagged freezers, refrigerators, dehumidifiers or air conditioners

The Solid Waste & Recycling Facility reflects our community's commitment to sustainable and progressive management of waste and recycling. 2009 enhancements include improved traffic flow and new directional signage, a new administration centre, weigh-scale kiosk and expanded recycling and household hazardous waste areas.

"Green" components of the new site were developed using the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design principles. Features such as solar wall cladding, energy-efficient equipment and water-conserving plumbing reduce environmental impact.

The City has partnered with Thunder Bay Hydro (now Synergy North) to build a power generating station and heat recovery system that uses the methane gas produced from decaying organic materials as fuel. Thunder Bay Hydro Renewable Power Inc. now operates this plant on land leased from the City at the Mapleward Road Solid Waste & Recycling Facility.

The 3.2 megawatt power generation plant draws methane gas to fuel two engine-driven generator sets and is designed to generate enough electricity to power 2,000 houses.

The project annually converts 263 million cubic feet of methane gas that would otherwise be released into the environment.