End date for accepting Industrial Commercial and Institutional waste at Matilda landfill

The irony of the open sign beside the locked gate at the Matilda disposal site indicative of the tenuous situation – South Dundas council approved significant decisions regarding curbside waste and recycling collection at its most recent council meeting. While these are operationally significant, director of transportation Jeff Hyndman says that even once these adjustments take place, “residents will not notice that anything has changed.” The municipality is working towards closing the landfill in about two years time but options to open a transfer station options have yet to be finalized.

MORRISBURG – Some major changes are coming to waste collection and recycling in South Dundas but they should go unnoticed by residents, according to Jeff Hyndman, director of transportation for the Municipality of South Dundas.

At the January 24 regular meeting South Dundas council formally approved changes that will see the end of the municipality accepting Industrial, Commercial and Institutional garbage at the Matilda Landfill site effective July 1, 2024.

That is the same date that all curbside waste collected from South Dundas residents weekly will stop being trucked to the municipally owned and operated Matilda Landfill site and will instead go to GFL Environmental in Moose Creek. The tipping fee at GFL is $74 per metric tonne.

“By removing this waste now, it allows us to have a proper time frame to have a closure plan,” said South Dundas mayor Jason Broad.

“At the January 24th Council Meeting, Council made the decision that no ICI waste would be received at the Matilda Landfill, if it is transported there privately, as of July 1, 2024,” further explained South Dundas chief administrative officer Tim Mills.

“ICI property owners that currently have existing curbside collection from HGC, may see changes as of July 1, 2024. That is to be determined at a council meeting in the very near future,” Mills told The Leader.

Also, March 1, South Dundas blue box recyclables will start going to HGC for processing. HGC’s processing fee is significantly lower than the Cornwall site presently processing South Dundas blue box recyclables.

With last week’s council decisions, the municipality is moving towards updating the Matilda Landfill closure plan for ministry approval.

The Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks needs the site closure plan two years in advance of the closure date. It must be approved by the Director of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks prior to implementing the plan.

When last calculated, Matilda Landfill had 2.2 years of capacity remaining.

“If we don’t slow down how much is going into the landfill, we won’t make it to two years,” said South Dundas councillor Cole Veinotte.

“I think we’re miles ahead of where we were last year in talking about waste,” said South Dundas deputy mayor Marc St. Pierre.