History of the Ottawa Landfill



The 142-hectare West Carleton site was first licensed to receive solid waste in 1971, in what was then the Township of West Carleton. Within the site, 35 hectares make up the landfill site proper.

The facility is located on the boreal shield of Ontario and features a surface water pond, two sediment pools, wooded areas, a grassy berm and sand pit. Waste Management has also installed owl nesting platforms and nesting tubes for mallard ducks.

The site, originally operated as an old-style landfill, was purchased in 1987 by Laidlaw Waste Systems Ltd. of Ottawa. Laidlaw undertook steps to modernize the facility, and those steps have been intensified since its purchase by Waste Management in 1996. Since then, significant steps have been taken to improve the facility and bring it up to Waste Management’s standards and commitments to environmental protection and stewardship. Some of these improvements include:

  • A comprehensive environmental monitoring program;
  • A leachate collection and management system;
  • A gas collection and management system;
  • Odour control investments;
  • Litter collection and management;
  • Waste diversion initiatives, and
  • Wildlife habitat enhancements.

In November 2006, Waste Management's West Carleton facility site received an International Habitat Conservation Award from the Wildlife Habitat Council. The company is the only waste management company in Canada with sites certified for wildlife habitat.