Algonquin Highlands environmental manager Melissa Murray estimates the township can continue burying waste at its active landfill sites for another 53 years, or until 2078.
In a recent report to council, Murray said municipal dumps at Maple Lake, Pine Springs, and Oxtongue Lake were at a combined 40 per cent capacity by the end of 2024. The township’s fourth waste location, in Dorset, is a transfer station only. Its landfill was capped in 2015.
Murray warned, though, that the estimated lifespan was determined based on historic figures, not necessarily future projections.
“As our population increases and uses of our landfill sites change, that number can change at any time,” she said, noting all sites complied with Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) standards in 2024.
Individually, the Maple Lake site has a remaining lifespan of 45 years, Oxtongue Lake 69 years, and Pine Springs 100 years.
Staff clocked 30,147 vehicles at Maple Lake last year, down marginally from 2023, taking in 44,927 bags of household garbage. With the installation of a weigh scale at the site last spring, Murray said she’s able to “quantify numbers a little better.” Before, staff tracked garbage by cubic metres but now does so through metric tons.
“We had 291 metric tonnes of waste accepted at Maple Lake, with 130 metric tonnes of that brought over from Dorset,” Murray said.
The township also collected 209 tonnes of blue box recyclables, 7.66 tonnes of electronic waste, 106 tonnes of scrap metal, 1.24 tonnes of household batteries, and 103 discarded appliances.
She said 3,027 vehicles used the Pine Springs location, disposing of 5,080 bags of garbage. From that, she estimates 48 tonnes of waste was deposited into the landfill last year, with an additional 23 tonnes transferred from Dorset. Murray said 15.89 tonnes of blue box materials were also collected.
“The bins at Pine Springs are in a bit of disrepair, so we will be looking at options to change those this year,” Murray said.
At Oxtongue Lake, 4,352 vehicles dropped off 5,555 garbage bags totalling 52 tonnes of waste, which Murray said was down from 2023. Staff also collected 29.04 tonnes of blue box recyclables, 3.92 tonnes of waste electronics, and 11.73 tonnes of scrap metal.
Murray said there will be surveys conducted at Pine Springs and Oxtongue Lake this year as the township plans for future expansion.
“We’re looking at moving into a new landfilling area [at Oxtongue Lake], so we’re going to do some work to see what our development plan will be. There is capacity, the land just hasn’t been developed yet,” Murray said, noting the need for tree clearing in 2026.
Murray said there were no concerns with ground and surface water quality assessments conducted at Maple Lake, Pine Springs or Oxtongue Lake, and recommended the township cease testing at the Dorset Transfer Station.
“It’s been a number of years since the site was capped. It’s in a state where there aren’t evolving changes to the site… we’re not seeing any active leachate, there’s no new waste being added. We’re not seeing any exceedances with our monitoring program over the last seven years, so there’s nothing to be concerned about,” Murray said.
