Ontario environment minister hopes to burn more garbage, build more landfills

Posted October 28, 2026 11:29 am

1 min read

2:53 Ontario’s landfill crisis: The cost of inaction

Ontario’s environment minister says he hopes to burn more garbage for energy and build more landfills following U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff on Canadian trash.

Environment Minister Todd McCarthy says Ontario’s landfills will be full within 10 years and the province needs to act quickly.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week that lifted some tariffs, but added a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian trash, with the measures set to go into force in a few days.

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McCarthy says the tariff could mean Ontario’s landfills will be full within five years, but he did not say how many landfills or incinerators the province needs.

He is hoping to work with municipalities to build landfills or incineration centres for energy, but the province may have to force cities to host the sites.

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A 2024 report from the Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says Canada shipped more than three million tonnes of garbage to the state in 2024.

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