Leeds and Thousand Islands eyes landfill mining aiming to extend Lansdowne site’s lifespan
Lansdowne’s waste disposal site is running out of time, but a new plan could extend its life for decades while saving the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands (TLTI) millions of dollars.
At Monday’s council meeting, TLTI council will consider a recommendation to move forward with a landfill mining project at the Lansdowne Waste Disposal Site.
With only three to four years of capacity left before the site must transition into a costly waste transfer facility, council is being urged to apply for federal funding through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) to support the mining initiative.
A recent feasibility study found that excavating 68,000 cubic metres of material would free up 40,000 cubic metres of additional space at the landfill, effectively extending its lifespan by 10 to 20 years.
Coupled with a recent Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) update that removes final cover from the approved waste volume, the site could see an additional five to 15 years of capacity, potentially pushing the site’s usefulness well beyond 2040.
The stakes are high. If the landfill reaches capacity as expected, TLTI will be forced to operate a waste transfer station, with household garbage shipped offsite at an estimated cost of $67 million over 30 years, excluding inflation and potential tariffs.
With Ontario’s landfill capacity projected to last just nine more years, and municipalities like Toronto already searching for alternative dumping grounds, securing a long-term local solution is crucial.
The proposed mining project comes with an upfront cost of $5.4 million but is projected to save TLTI more than $50 million over the next three decades. If the CHIF grant is approved, the federal government would cover 50 per cent of the capital costs, cutting the township’s financial burden in half.
Currently, TLTI has earmarked $698,200 in its 2025 capital budget for the project. Should the grant application succeed, the remaining $2 million needed for the township’s share will be phased into future budgets.
Council will discuss the proposal today (Monday, March 17), with staff set to report back on the success or failure of the grant application in the coming months.