Landfill site location

Thunder Bay Solid Waste & Recycling Facility
5405 Mapleward Rd
Thunder Bay

The facility's entrance is on the west side of Mapleward Road, between Oliver Road and John Street Road.

Operating hours

Monday - Friday: 8 am - 6:30 pm
Saturday: 8 am - 4:30 pm
Closed Sundays and all statutory holidays (including Easter Monday, Civic Holiday and Remembrance Day).

The Landfill Site is open Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Landfill site - live camera

Before making a trip to the Solid Waste & Recycling Facility (the Landfill Site), check out the LIVE camera to see how busy the site is. 

Site procedures

View a map of the Solid Waste and Recycling Facility (PDF) (landfill).

After entering the site from Mapleward Road, traffic will split into two streams: private vehicles and commercial vehicles.

Plan for unloading and secure your load

When planning a visit to the landfill site, be sure to load your vehicle with the unloading process in mind. Always take the time to sufficiently tarp and secure your load before you leave home. Unsecured loads are subject to fines through the Highway Traffic Act.

Private vehicle procedure

If you are only using the recycling, hazardous waste and e-waste areas, you do not have to cross the scales and there is no charge.

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.

If you have other items, stop at the weigh scale kiosk before proceeding onto the main landfill site. In compliance with Ontario Regulations, all vehicles coming to the Landfill Site must be weighed in and out. Vehicles are charged a tipping fee on exit based on the weight of the load they leave at the site.

The next stop is the public drop-off area (transfer station area), where there are bins for metals, tires, bulky items, 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.

If you have leaf and yard waste, you will proceed to the leaf and yard waste area near the main tipping face, before returning to the weigh scales to be weighed out.

Commercial vehicle procedure

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.

 

How to Use the Automated Scales for Registered Commercial Vehicles

The City of Thunder Bay’s Solid Waste & Recycling Facility opened on Sept. 1, 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 automated commercial scales.

 

Industrial, Commercial, Institutional (ICI) customers will be able to use our automated scales if:

  • You become a registered hauler and have an account with the City of Thunder Bay.
  • You permanently attach the Radio Frequency Identification (RF) barcode sticker that you receive upon registering to the driver’s side windshield of the truck that will be hauling.
  • The truck you use to haul has the same container full or empty.
  • The truck you use to haul has the same size roll-off each time.

 

Getting There: The entrance is now on Mapleward Road between Oliver Road and John Street Road. The old entrance on John Street Road will be closed.

 

Entering: Once you enter through the main gate on Mapleward, the roadway to the automated commercial scale will be the first right. Follow these steps:

  • Approach the gate. [The loop detectors will recognize your vehicle and open the gate.] 
  • Proceed to the scale. [As you approach the scale, the RF reader will capture your information from your barcode sticker. Once you are on the scale, your truck’s gross weight will register. All other pertinent information will already have been stored for you.
  • If you are a customer that hauls more than one commodity, choose the commodity you are hauling on the computer screen and press “Enter”.
  • Take the ticket. Proceed to the main tipping face.

 

If Your Tare Weight has Expired: A message will appear on the scale’s computer screen that says the tare has expired and you will have to re-tare on the outbound kiosk scale after dumping your load. You will not recieve a printed ticket for this transaction.

 

Exiting: As you exit, use the following process:

  • Exit the site by driving in the bypass lane next to the public scale kiosk.
  • You will not have to weigh out, as your tare weight will be stored in the system. An RF reader in the bypass lane will recognize your vehicle’s exit.

 

For more information or questions on commercial use or accounts, contact the City of Thunder Bay Solid Waste & Recycling Facility at 807-767-9472.

 

Tipping fees

Loads weighing up to 120 kg: $10

Non-hazardous solid waste over 120 kg: $86.61 per tonne

Non-hazardous (approved) contaminated soil - $45.17 per tonne

Revenues from these fees finance the operation of the landfill site. Correct change is appreciated. You may pay by cash, debit, MasterCard or Visa.

View the Non-profit Organizations Waiver of Tipping Fees Application Form (PDF).

Sort your load

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-packs, milk cartons, aluminum or metal cans, all #1 and #2 plastic containers (e.g. drink bottles, soap bottles, salad and fruit containers). Containers must be rinsed of any liquid or food residue.
  • Household Hazardous Waste Depot including electronic waste (e-waste)
  • Public Drop-off Area Bins: garbage, metal (anything containing metal), scrap tires, bulky items (like mattresses), etc.
  • Leaf and Yard Waste Area

If recyclable or compostable material is brought in with regular garbage, it must be clearly separated from the garbage on the load.

What is and isn't accepted at the landfill

Accepted
  • Only garbage generated within the District of Thunder Bay boundaries is accepted at the landfill site
  • Any scrap metal can be recycled. Any item with metal in it should be placed in the "Metals" bin. Freezers, air conditioners and refrigerators 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 "Metals" bin at the Public Waste Disposal area.
  • Fluorescent tubes can be recycled at the Landfill Site. Deliver them to Household Hazardous Waste Depot during regular landfill hours
  • Empty, dry paint cans should be deposited in the metal laydown area. Partial cans of paint and all other household hazardous waste can be deposited at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot.
  • There is no longer a surcharge for the disposal of scrap tires. A drop-off bin for tires is located in the Public Drop-off Area. Residents can also visit the Ontario Tire Stewardship website for more information on tire collection locations.
  • Management of asbestos waste is subject to specific regulations under Ontario's Environmental Protection Act. The Solid Waste and Recycling Facility currently accepts asbestos provided certain conditions are met. For more information on disposal, contact the Supervisor – Landfill Operations at 625-3392. 
Not Accepted
  • Non-tagged freezers, refrigerators, dehumidifiers or air conditioners

A cleaner, greener facility

The Solid Waste & Recycling 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.

"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  reduce environmental impact.

Landfill gas

The City has partnered with Thunder Bay Hydro to build a power generating station and heat recovery system that uses the methane gas produced from decaying organic materials as fuel. Thunder Bay Hydro Renewable Power Inc. now operates this plant on land leased from the City at the Mapleward Road Waste & Recycling Facility.

The 3.2 megawatt power generation plant draws methane gas to fuel two engine-driven generator sets and is designed to generate enough electricity to power 2,000 houses.

The project annually converts 263 million cubic feet of methane gas that would have otherwise been released into the environment.

Further information

Read Our Green Guide to help you recycle! It contains an A-Z listing of items, and how to recycle or dispose of them in Thunder Bay. 

 

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