STAFF REPORT

November 12, 1999

To: Works Committee

From: Barry H. Gutteridge, Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

Subject: Increase in Fee for Clean Fill at Landfills

Purpose:

To seek authority to increase the fee for receiving clean fill at City of Toronto landfill sites from $10.00 per load to $20.00 per load.

Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

During the first ten months of 1999, the Keele Valley Landfill received 41,532 clean fill loads, which is approximately 50,000 loads per year prorated to an annual rate. Hence, assuming that the increased user fee for this material will not alter the amount of fill disposed, revenue would increase from approximately $500,000 to approximately $1,000,000 per year.

The cost of implementing the new fees would amount to a minimal administration cost only.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the fee be increased for every load of clean fill received at City of Toronto landfills from $10.00 to $20.00 per load;

(2) a fee of $20.00 per load be charged for loads of brick, block, asphalt and rubble;

(3) the quantities accepted will continue to be limited to our requirements and must be suitable for the intended use; and

(4) appropriate City of Toronto Officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Background:

Previously clean fill material had been received free of charge at City of Toronto landfills and was used primarily as daily cover and for final grading. Clean fill was, and still is, accepted only if it can be put to a beneficial use at the landfills. On February 28, 1996, the former Metropolitan Toronto Council adopted Clause No. 6 of Report No. 3 of the Environmental & Public Space Committee recommending the establishment of a $10.00 fee for every load of clean fill accepted at City of Toronto landfills.

Comments:

Clean fill material is currently accepted at our landfill sites at a fee of $10.00 per load. This material is primarily used for daily cover which is applied on the tipping face after each day of operation as mandated by the Certificate of Approval for our landfill site.

In order to control the quantity and acceptability of clean fill, the Works and Emergency Services Department (WESD) regulates the incoming flow of clean fill material to ensure that materials meet WESD requirements. The soil must meet the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) Dredged Material Model Classification Criteria (DMMCC). If the material does not meet this criteria, it may be accepted in the waste stream at the regular Solid Waste Management fee for regular mixed waste of $55.00 per tonne, providing that it is free of hydrocarbon contamination.

If the soil is determined to be hydrocarbon impacted, it will not be accepted at the landfill site for any purpose since soil recycling alternatives exist for this type of contaminated material. The material produced by soil recycling facilities that meets the MOE DMMCC will also be accepted as clean fill subject to the new fee.

Clean fill material does not include soil which meets the MOE decommissioning guidelines for industrial land use which is presently received at landfill for a fee of $5.00 per tonne and is also used as daily cover material. A typical 10 tonne load of this soil, for example, would be assessed a $50.00 fee.

Currently, anyone who proposes to bring clean fill to a Toronto landfill site must follow specific procedures. Soil samples from the excavation site must be tested to determine if they meet MOE guidelines for dredged materials, and to determine if the soil is contaminated with hydrocarbons. The results are submitted to the WESD. Providing that the reports are favourable, the excavation site and surrounding area may be visually inspected by a WESD official to determine if there has been any other possibility of soil contamination. The quantity of clean fill available is estimated, and Clean Material Authorization Tickets are issued at a charge of $10.00 per load to allow this material into the landfill site. The tickets are numbered sequentially, and provide specific information on the load source and hauler.

Other venues for disposing of clean fill in and around the City of Toronto are sparse. Some construction sites that require clean fill material may offer to accept it free of charge, or charge a small fee depending on their requirements and the current demand to dispose of clean fill material. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority also receives clean fill material at the Leslie Street Spit for lake filling purposes. In order for the material to be accepted at the Leslie Street Spit, it must meet MOE criteria for open water lake filling, which is generally more stringent than the MOE dredged material guidelines. Acceptable loads for lake filling purposes are subject to a fee of $30.00 per load. At this time, there is no limitation on the quantity of material accepted at the Leslie Street Spit. Additionally, a sand and gravel supplier beside the Keele Valley Landfill site charges $38.00 per load for clean fill.

Our landfills require a steady supply of clean fill material. Presently, the supply of clean fill outweighs our demand at the landfill and is presently stockpiled for use as final cover. Staff believe that increasing the fee by $10.00 per load will not significantly reduce the quantities of clean fill material delivered to the landfill site. We also require clean rubble for the construction of temporary roads. Allowing this material to be received at the landfill for $20.00 per load will provide some additional revenue. Furthermore, allowing this material to be received at a less expensive rate than the normal $55.00 fee for mixed waste, ensures a substantial amount will be received and utilized at the landfill, thereby substantially reducing the need to purchase road base construction material. It, like clean fill, will be diverted from the waste stream and will not consume valuable landfill space.

Conclusions:

Clean fill is currently accepted for $10.00 per load at our landfill sites. Fees should be increased to $20.00 per load. This will create additional revenue for the City and will not disrupt our supply of this material. Clean rubble should also be accepted at the landfill sites for $20.00 per load. The clean rubble is used for the construction of temporary roads on the landfill.

Contact:

Lou Ciardullo

Manager, Landfills

Solid Waste Management Services

Works and Emergency Services

Tel: (905) 832-0682 ext. 235

Fax: (905) 832-4944

E-mail: lou_ciardullo@toronto.ca

Angelos Bacopoulos

General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services

Barry H. Gutteridge

Commissioner, Works and Emergency Services

LC/sh (Fee-CleanFill.doc)