Disposal Site

Hours of Operation

The Disposal Site is currently running on Winter Hours.  The dump is open Tuesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

To dispose of freon items, please see payment options on our Municipal page. 

Blue Box Program Transition to Producer Responsibility

Ontario is transitioning the current Blue Box Program to a producer responsibility model. The new model means transitioning costs of the Blue Box Program away from municipal taxpayers and making producers of products and packaging fully responsible for the litter they create.

The model will improve recycling across the province by:

• addressing the serious problem of plastic pollution and litter
• expanding collection to all communities outside the Far North by 2026
• standardizing what can be recycled across Ontario
• accepting common single-use and packaging-like products such as paper and plastic cups, foils, trays, bags, and boxes sold for home use
• collecting single-use items that are distributed or sold to consume food and beverage products, like stir sticks, straws, cutlery and plates

The Township of O’Connor will start to transfer responsibility to producers starting January 1, 2024. By December 31, 2025, producers will be fully responsible for providing blue box services across Ontario.

Taking the cost burden off municipalities and allowing producers to innovate

The cost of the current Blue Box system is not sustainable and is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.

The new regulation shifts the cost of operating the current system from municipalities to the producers who create the product and packaging waste. At the same time, we are  giving producers the tools to find efficiencies and lower costs. This will:

• allow producers to find cost efficiencies to improve the collection and management of materials
• encourage producers to make packaging that is easier to recycle
• put valuable materials back into the economy

Please click on the O’Connor Landfill Pamphlet for a quick and handy pdf version to see how you can properly dispose of your waste or see our WASTE DISPOSAL GUIDE to learn how to sort, reuse, repurpose, and donate your items.

Take Action on Litter

There are actions all of us can take to put litter in its proper place.

You can do this by:
• Reducing waste: giving old products new life instead of throwing them away. For example, using old containers for storage.
• Diverting waste: recycling or composting materials when and where possible to divert waste away from landfills. For example, by using your blue and green bins.
• Preventing waste: stopping waste before its created. For example, by choosing to buy goods with less packaging.
• Properly disposing waste: making sure anything that does belong in the trash, such as disposable gloves and masks, is placed in properly tied or sealed garbage bags to keep our neighbourhoods clean and safe.
Why it matters – We generate nearly one tonne of waste per person every year in Ontario. It is estimated that almost 10,000 tonnes of plastic debris enter Ontario’s lakes and rivers each year.
In Ontario:
• almost 50% of waste is diverted through blue box or green bins
• 70% of general waste materials from residential, commercial and industrial locations end up in landfills
When food and organic waste breaks down in landfills it produces harmful greenhouse gases. Ontario’s greenhouse gases from solid waste in landfills totaled 3.4 million tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) in 2018 . Waste that doesn’t get recycled or go to landfills ends up as litter in our environment, which can have a negative effect on local ecosystems.
Litter along our shorelines, in our green spaces and on our roads can spill into our waterways and break down into micro-plastics in the environment, which can hurt or even kill wildlife and damage ecosystems.
What you can do – Your actions matter.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours, or one game of hockey. Almost every plastic item we’ve made since the 1950s is still in our environment .
Consider:
• donating gently used plastic toys instead of throwing them away
• using your own dinnerware instead of plastic or paper plates
• swapping your plastic water bottle for a reusable one when you’re on the go
Tips for around the house:
• Become an expert on what goes in the green bin and blue box in your municipality.
• Reuse or properly wash and recycle take-out food containers.
• Use up leftover produce in your fridge by making a batch of soup or stir fry.
• To cut down on paper towel waste, use a dishcloth with soap and water to clean your surfaces.
• Make a zero-waste air freshener with a few simple household ingredients.
• Upcycle your old jeans into a DIY dog toy.
Tips for around your backyard:
• Create your own compost station outside for your garden soil.
• Use old towels to clean your outside windows, table tops and chairs.
• Create a seed nursery with toilet paper rolls before planting.
• Reuse cracked or damaged ceramics as flower pots.
• Create a “bee hotel” using things from around the house.
• Prevent food waste by growing what you need. Learn how to grow your own sprouts.
Other tips:
• Avoid food waste by planning your meals in advance and buying groceries for your weekly recipes.
• Purchase beeswax food wraps instead of plastic wrap.
• Purchase reusable straws instead of plastic straws.
• Mason jars are handy and can be reused for multiple purposes.

WASTE AND WASTE DIVERSION

Landfill sites don’t last forever.

The amount of waste going into the disposal site can be reduced significantly by recycling.

In an effort to reduce waste and create a cleaner and greener environment for O’Connor Township and its Disposal Site, we have created a WASTE DISPOSAL GUIDE to help inform the residents of what waste and recyclables are accepted and what waste is considered hazardous and where that waste can be diverted to.

Before throwing anything out, check the container or item to see if there are any recycling or hazard symbols and dispose of it appropriately.  Doing this will not only reduce waste at our landfill, but will also keep O’Connor’s air, water and soil clean.

Please keep all hazardous waste in its original container and never mix hazardous wastes together.

For any further questions on how to dispose of your waste properly or for items not listed, or to add items to the list, please call the Township office at 807-476-1451 or ask our Disposal Site Caretaker.

WHERE DOES IT ALL GO?

The following items listed are accepted at the O’Connor Disposal Site.  Any hazardous waste must be diverted.  For a listing of hazardous waste items and where to dispose of them, please check our WASTE DISPOSAL GUIDE.  All other waste and recyclables must be deposited in the designated areas:

• Household Garbage – All non-recyclable waste and larger items (ie. totes, coolers) need  crushing and belong in the truck.  Please no glass or hazardous waste as this could be harmful for our staff and the environment.
• Recycling – Our recycle bins have two compartments only. Not as much sorting. Paper and Cardboard go on one side and other recyclable containers, including #1 through #7 plastics, tetra (milk and juice cartons) and tin cans go in the other.
• Pop/Beer Cans & Beer/Liquor Bottles – Please help raise money for our local fire department and separate your pop, beer and liquor containers.  These items can be bagged and placed in the O’Connor Fire Department Charity Bin located on site.
• Items containing Freon – Anything containing freon such as fridges, freezers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, etc. require a $20 fee which MUST be paid at Township Office prior to disposal.  Please remove all doors/lids prior to disposal. Proof of payment must be provided to the Disposal Site Caretaker before dropping off.
• Scrap Metal – In this pile, we accept items such as scrap from old cars, steel beams, household appliances, tire rims, etc.  Empty, dry paint cans are permitted.  For cans with paint still in them, please refer to the WASTE DISPOSAL GUIDE.
• Burn Pile – For any burnable items such as clean wood, brush or tree limbs.  Any painted, varnished or pressure treated wood should go in the treated wood pile.
• Treated Wood –  For all wooden furniture and any treated, painted or varnished lumber.
• Glass – Any non-recyclable glass bottles, glass jars, mirrors and glass doors.
• Used Tires – All tire sizes are accepted.  If possible, please remove all rims and place in the Scrap Metal pile.
• Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) – All WEEE items are to be placed in the large shipping container located on site. WEEE item examples are computers, peripherals (keyboards, mice), monitors, printers and televisions, telephones, copiers, stereos, radios, and other audio-visual equipment. Please place items with caution to ensure they receive no further damage. NO batteries please.  Please check the WASTE DISPOSAL GUIDE for where you can bring your batteries.
• Upholstery & Other Textiles –  Includes mattresses, tarps, carpeting, etc.  Please tie up rollable items to keep area tidy.

•                               EcoSuperior at www.ecosuperior.org
  
•                               GFL Environmental Inc. at– Waste Management & Environmental Services

PLEASE BE ADVISED

There are rules in place, both from the Township of O’Connor and the Ministry of Environment that must be followed by all users of the Disposal site. The staff of the Township of O’Connor do their best to keep the disposal site well organized and maintain environmental standards and guidelines. The Disposal Site Caretaker is there to ensure these rules are followed by our residents.

We have recently been made aware of and have witnessed disgruntled residents who are not following the rules and when asked to follow the rules, have harassed the staff. The definition of Workplace Harassment in the Township of O’Connor’s policy is “Engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome”. The Township is committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.

We need everyone to work together to preserve our current disposal site for as long as we can. To open a new site will cost several hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars and the closed site must also be maintained and tested for several years following its closure, again on taxpayers’ dollars. Please recycle properly and sort and place your garbage in the correct location. Ask the caretaker if you don’t know. For more information on recycling, please scroll down this page. We thank you for your anticipated cooperation and understanding.

We would like to ask that residents make sure that they bring their Disposal Site Permits with them when they attend the site.

(You must be a resident of the Township to dump your garbage at the site.)

LOSE YOUR CARD?

Should you happen to lose your card, please call the friendly and helpful staff at the Township Office at 807-476-1451.