Ontario eyes burning more trash as landfills balloon and Canada faces a 50% U.S. waste tariff

Ontario, Canada, is looking to expand its garbage disposal capacity as the province faces dwindling landfill space and a 50% U.S. waste-import levy. 

But some residents are calling for a different approach: producing less trash in the first place.

Here's what to know

Ontario Environment Minister Todd McCarthy said Ontario's landfill capacity will be exhausted in a decade, CBC Toronto reported. Faster approvals for additional landfills are the goal of omnibus legislation proposed by the province.

The report on TikTok said "McCarthy hopes to burn more garbage for energy and build more landfills" as the province runs out of space to dump its trash.

@cbctoronto Ontario's environment minister hopes to burn more garbage for energy and build more landfills as the province runs out of space to dump its trash, framing it as a way to fight U.S. President Donald Trump's recent tariff on Canadian waste. #CBCNews #CBCToronto #Toronto #Ontario #Tariffs ♬ original sound - CBC Toronto

The push comes in response to the 50% levy President Donald Trump imposed on waste from Canada, according to the report.

While new landfills and increased burning could help handle waste, both approaches deal with materials that have already been produced and discarded.

Commenters on CBC Toronto's post pointed to an earlier stage in the process: the packaging households receive with their purchases. Several argued that manufacturers should bear more responsibility, rather than focusing on disposal.

What's being done?

McCarthy hopes to pursue increased garbage burning, but that expansion has not yet happened, according to the report.

Meanwhile, commenters called for companies to take greater responsibility for packaging and product disposal.

"Or we could just produce less waste by making companies pay for packaging they force on us," one wrote.

Another asked, "Why not make companies make biodegradable packaging, why is everything plastic?"

Both suggestions focus on changing what enters the waste stream, though the report does not describe Ontario adopting either proposal.

Where can I learn more?

Landfill capacity is a concern beyond Ontario, too, as communities look for ways to reduce waste or make more room for it.

• New Bedford, Massachusetts, urges curbside food-scrap pickup to buy time at Crapo Hill landfill.

• In England, landfill taxes hit £126 per tonne as illegal dumping reaches record levels.

• In Maine, residents challenge landfill expansion over concerns about wetlands, PFAS, and leachate trucks.

• In Michigan, discarded lithium-ion batteries sparked a 1.5-acre landfill fire, highlighting risks in the trash.

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