LAURIE WEIR
SMITHS FALLS — Town council has agreed to extend its waste collection contracts with Glenview Iron and Metal (GIM) through 2028 in a move to stabilize costs and maintain service ahead of sweeping changes to Ontario’s recycling system.
The extensions include curbside garbage pickup and dumpster service for multi-residential and municipal properties. A separate agreement will see GIM continue recycling collection at 220 commercial sites no longer eligible under Ontario’s new residential-only recycling framework.
Director of Public Works and Utilities Paul McMunn brought the proposal forward at the July 21 committee of the whole meeting. He said staying with GIM offers pricing stability at a time when other municipalities are seeing cost spikes.
“If we go to market, we risk GIM not bidding or coming back at a higher price,” McMunn said. “We could also end up with a contractor unfamiliar with the local landscape.”
The town’s 2026 waste operating budget is set to increase by $163,852 — a 20.63 per cent jump over 2025 — largely due to rising landfill tipping fees at the Moose Creek site, which will climb from $128.48 to $138 per tonne. GIM has held off passing on those costs until its current contract ends in December 2025.
The new $72,000 annual cost for commercial recycling will also be subject to future budget discussions, with potential for a cost recovery model that could see businesses billed directly.
Coun. Peter McKenna raised concerns about not putting the contract to market, but Mayor Shawn Pankow said the extension buys time for deeper discussion.
“I think there is a robust conversation coming,” Pankow said. “But I see the need here to extend these contracts.”
CAO Malcolm Morris called the arrangement competitive and echoed concerns about the province’s new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system.
“This puts us back 30 years,” he said. “We’ll have two trucks on the same street collecting Blue Box materials. From a climate change perspective, that’s retrograde.”
He added that waste should be treated more like a utility with full cost recovery as landfill space becomes scarcer. Coun. Dawn Quinn urged residents and businesses to reconsider excess packaging and adopt smarter practices around waste.
Council unanimously supported McMunn’s recommendations, acknowledging a broader waste management strategy will follow the town’s 20-year Waste Master Plan.
Canada’s growing garbage problem
Ontario’s landfill capacity is dwindling. The Ontario Waste Management Association warns sites could hit capacity in 15 to 20 years, sooner in eastern Ontario.
The Conference Board of Canada reports Canadians generate more waste per capita than any developed country, about 2.7 kilograms per person, per day, with only 30 per cent diverted from landfill.
By contrast:
- In Sweden, less than one per cent of household waste goes to landfill. Nearly half is converted to electricity through incineration.
- Germany recycles 66 per cent of its municipal waste thanks to strict packaging laws and mandatory sorting.
- South Korea uses RFID-tagged compost bins and pay-per-volume garbage bags to reduce food and landfill waste.
- In Japan, some towns have 45 waste categories. Sorting is enforced through community rules and civic pride.
Statistics Canada shows little progress in Canada’s recycling rate. Contamination and outsourcing plague the Blue Box system.
