Solid Waste & Recycling Facility
FREE WEEK: mAY 5-12, 2013
Tipping fees will be waived for cars and non-commercial light trucks from Sun., May 5 to Sun., May 12.
Regular tipping fees will apply to all loads brought onto the site in commercial vehicles.
Landfill hours during Free Week will be extended to include Sun., May 5 and Sun., May 12 from 9 am to 4:30 pm.
Please be patient with increased volume, and drive carefully. If possible, visit the site on Sun., May 5 or Sun., May 12 when traffic is lighter. Early mornings are the best time.
Make sure to sort your load before you leave home, so items can be easily removed at the proper areas and bins (see below).
All loads brought to the landfill must be sufficiently covered and secured, in keeping with the Highway Traffic Act. Thunder Bay Police will be monitoring traffic. Bring your load in a covered vehicle or truck, or secure a canopy or tarp over open loads. Always tie down larger items such as lumber and garbage bags.
STANDARD OPERATING HOURS
Monday to Friday: 8 am - 6:30 pm
Saturday: 8 am - 4:30 pm
Closed Sunday (except during Free Week), and Statutory Holidays except: Victoria Day (May), Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) and Easter Monday
For more information call 625-2195 or contact the Waste Management & Recycling Hotline at 623-5756.
LOCATION
The entrance to the new facility is at 5405 Mapleward Rd., between Oliver Road and John Street Road. The entrance to the old John Street Landfill site is now permanently closed. The upgraded City of Thunder Bay Solid Waste & Recycling Facility opened September 2009. The facility reflects our community’s commitment to sustainable and progressive management of waste and recycling. Enhancements include improved traffic flow and new directional signage, a new administration centre, weigh scale kiosk and expanded recycling and household hazardous waste areas.
Important Reminder! When planning a visit to the landfill site be sure to load your vehicle with the 'unloading' process in mind. See below for a listing and the locations of the various laydown areas.
Always take the time to sufficiently tarp and secure your load before you leave home. Unsecure loads are subject to fines through the Highway Traffic Act.
View a Map of the Solid Waste & Recycling Facility
Visit our MyTBay Minute Online webpage and click Play to view our "Cover & Secure Your Load" video.
Site Procedures
Upon entering the site from Mapleward Road, traffic is split into two streams – private vehicles and commercial vehicles. Private vehicles first travel through the Household Recycling, Household Hazardous Waste and E-Waste Depots before arriving at the kiosk to be weighed at the scale. You do not have to cross the scales and there is no charge if you are only using these areas.
All vehicles proceeding to the Public Waste Disposal Area or the landfill face must stop at the weigh scale kiosk before proceeding onto the site. In compliance with Provincial Government Regulations, all vehicles coming to the Landfill Site must be weighed in and out. Vehicles are charged on exit based on the weight of the load they leave at the site.
Tipping Fees as of April 2013:
Loads weighing less than 130 kg: $7
Non-hazardous solid waste over 130 kg: $56.37 per tonne
Non-hazardous (approved) contaminated soil - $43.85 (no change from 2011)
Revenues from these fees finance the operation of the site and the costs associated with recycling programs. Correct change is appreciated. Payment options include cash, interac, MasterCard or Visa.
Attention Non-Profit Organizations: You may be eligible to waive the tipping fee.
Before leaving home, please sort your load so that you can easily deposit non-garbage items into the following areas and appropriate bins at the landfill site:
- Recycling Depot - paper, cardboard, glass bottles and jars, Tetra Paks, Milk Cartons, aluminum or metal cans, #1 and #2 plastic bottles with necks and twist off tops
- Household Hazardous Waste Depot including electronic waste (E-waste)
- Public Waste Disposal Area Bins: Garbage, Metal (anything containing metal), Scrap Tires, Bulky Items (like matresses), etc.
- Leaf & Yard Waste Area, Clean Wood Waste Area
If recyclable or compostable material is brought in with regular garbage, it must be clearly separated from the garbage on the load.
Payment options
Chargeable loads (over 126 kg.) can be paid for by:
- MasterCard/Visa™
- Interac™
- Cash or Cheque
Metal Laydown in the Public Waste DispoSal Area
Any scrap metal can be recycled. Any item with metal in it should be placed in the "Metals" bin. Watch for signs in the Public Waste Disposal Area. Freezers, air conditioners and refrigerators must be tagged CFC free. See note below under Materials Banned. Materials Banned
Only garbage generated within City of Thunder Bay boundaries is accepted at the landfill site.
- Freezers, refrigerators and air conditioners must display a tag or notice signed by a certified technician indicating that the fluorocarbons known as CFCs, HCFCs or HFCs have been removed. Once cleared at the kiosk, these items can be left in the METAL bin at the Public Waste Disposal area.
- Asbestos is accepted but must be handled according to Ministry of Environment guidelines. The Landfill Site must be notified before you bring out such loads.
- Fluorescent tubes can be recycled at the Landfill Site. Deliver them to Household Hazardous Waste Depot during regular landfill hours.
- Empty, dry paint cans can be deposited in the metal laydown area. Partial cans of paint and all other household hazardous waste can be brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Depot.
Scrap Tires
There is no longer a surcharge for the disposal of scrap tires. A drop-off bin for tires is located in the Public Waste Disposal area. Residents can also visit the Ontario Tire Stewardship website at www.ontarioTS.ca for more information on tire collection locations.
Designed to optimize the management of solid waste and emphasize recycling, the new Thunder Bay Solid Waste & Recycling Facility is customer friendly. Residential customers no longer have to travel up to the garbage face to dispose of waste. The site’s design also makes it safer and more efficient for commercial customers. Enhancements include improved traffic flow and new directional signage, a new administration centre, weigh scale kiosk and automated commercial scales.
Residential Use
When you enter the site from Mapleward Road, you'll see that traffic is split into two streams – private and commercial. Private vehicles first travel through the Household Recycling, E-Waste Depot and Household Hazardous Waste Depot, before arriving at the kiosk to be weighed at the scale. Their next stop is the transfer station area where there are huge, at-grade bins that separate metals, bulky items, soil/clean fill, clean wood and garbage. Residential vehicles including cars, vans and half-ton trucks move from bin to bin, depositing their waste into the appropriate area. Attendants are on hand to provide advice; however, customers must separate their loads before leaving home.
Visit the Household Hazardous Waste Depot information webpage for details on safe disposal of household hazardous waste.
Registered Commercial Vehicles
Commercial vehicles, including City waste packers, proceed directly to automated scales upon entering the site. This new traffic flow improves efficiency, reduces wait times for all users, and encourages recycling and proper waste management.
Map and handout on how to use the automated scales for Registered Commercial Vehicles
Adobe PDF, 2 pages, 1.36 KB
A Cleaner, Greener Facility
‘Green’ components of the new site were developed using the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design principles. Features such as solar wall cladding, energy-efficient equipment and water-conserving plumbing were used to reduce environmental impact. The City has partnered with Thunder Bay Hydro to build a power generating station and heat recovery system that will use the methane gas produced from decaying organic materials as fuel.
Metals
***Any scrap metal can be recycled. Any item with metal in it should be placed in the "Metals" bin. Watch for signs in the Public Waste Disposal Area. Freezers, air conditioners and refrigerators must be tagged CFC free. See note under Materials Banned. ***
Check out Our Green Guide for tips on reducing waste. It's full of great recycling options.
Our Green Guide Adobe PDF, 43 pages, 1.9 MB
