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Bill 134, Diverting Waste from Landfills and Reducing Greenhouse Gases Act, 2026

McMahon, Mary-Margaret

Clancy, Aislinn

Current status:

First Reading Ordered for Second Reading

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Bill 134 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill amends the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy

Act, 2016 . A new

section 7.1 provides that no more than 60 days after

the

section comes into force, the Minister shall establish a working group to

review source separated organics programs and to study the most effective

methods for diverting organic waste from landfill sites. The new

section

provides for the composition of the working group and sets out the matters the

working group must examine.

The

working group must report their findings to the Minister within six months. The

Minister must lay the report before the Legislative Assembly and provide a

response to the report within three months after receiving the report.

new

section 7.2 requires the Minister to prepare annual reports respecting

organic waste in landfill sites.

Bill 134 2026

Act to amend the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

The Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016

is amended by adding the following sections:

Organic Waste

Definitions

sections 7.1 and 7.2,

“landfill

site” means a waste disposal site, within the meaning of

Part V of the Environmental Protection Act , where landfilling occurs;

(“ décharge ”)

“source

separated organics program” means a program operated by or for a municipality

to separate organic waste from other waste. (“ programme visant les

matières organiques séparées à la source ”)

Study

of source separated organics programs

7.1

(1) No later

than 60 days after the day this

section comes into force, the Minister shall establish

a working group to review source separated organics programs for residential,

commercial, industrial and institutional properties and to study the most

effective methods for diverting organic waste from landfill sites to appropriate

composting facilities.

Working

group composition

(2) The

working group shall be composed of at least 11 members appointed by the

Minister.

Same

(3) The

members of the working group shall include persons with expertise in organic

waste management and representatives from the following organizations:

1. The

Authority.

2. Resident

associations.

3. Landfill

site operators.

4. Companies

or organizations that provide services to collect, sort, process or haul waste.

Contents

of review

(4) In

conducting the review, the working group shall examine the following matters:

1. Progress

on the Government of Ontario’s implementation of the “Strategy for a Waste-Free

Ontario: Building the Circular Economy”, published February 28, 2017.

2. The

current state of organic waste in landfill sites, including,

i. the

quantity of organic waste in landfill sites,

ii. the

percentage of waste in landfill sites that is organic waste and the percentage of

organic waste from residential, commercial, multi-residential, institutional and

industrial properties, and

iii. greenhouse

gas emissions produced by organic waste in landfill sites.

3. The

primary factors that contribute to the disposal of organic waste in landfill

sites.

4. The

programs of comparable jurisdictions that have successfully diverted organic

waste from landfill sites to appropriate composting facilities.

5. Strategies

from programs mentioned in paragraph 4 that may result in successful diversion

of organic waste in Ontario.

Report

(5) No

later than six months after the working group is established, the working group

shall report their findings to the Minister.

Same

(6) The

report shall include,

(

a) an

explanation of the methodology used to conduct the review;

(

b) findings

from the review;

(

c) recommended

goals respecting the most effective methods for diverting organic waste from

landfill sites to appropriate composting facilities; and

(

d) short-term

and long-term actions to achieve the recommended goals.

Report

to Assembly and publication

(7) No

later than 15 days after the day the Minister receives the working group’s

report, the Minister shall,

(

a) lay

the report before the Legislative Assembly; and

(

b) publish

the report on a Government of Ontario website.

Response

(8) No

later than three months after the day the Minister receives the working group’s

report, the Minister shall provide a response respecting the report to the

Legislative Assembly.

Publication

of response

(9) The

Minister shall publish the response on a Government of Ontario website as soon

as possible after providing the response to the Legislative Assembly.

Annual

report

7.2

(1) The

Minister shall prepare an annual report to the public respecting organic waste in

landfill sites that includes the following information:

1. An

explanation of the Government of Ontario’s progress towards implementation of

the “Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy”,

published February 28, 2017.

2. The

quantity of organic waste in landfill sites for the reporting year and a

comparison to the quantity from the previous reporting year.

3. The

percentage of waste in landfill sites for the reporting year that is organic

waste and a comparison to the percentage from the previous reporting year.

4. The

percentage of organic waste in landfill sites for the reporting year from residential,

commercial, multi-residential, institutional and industrial properties.

5. The

amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced in landfill sites from organic

waste deposited at the site.

6. A

description of any programs to reduce the amount of organic waste in landfill

sites that have been implemented and, for each program,

i. an

explanation of actions taken that were successful and actions taken that were

not successful, and

ii. an

explanation of any changes to the program.

7. A

description of any programs to reduce organic waste in landfill sites the

Minister is examining for implementation.

8. A

plan for reducing the amount of organic waste in landfill sites for the

reporting year.

First

report

(2) The

Minister shall publish the first annual report no later than one year after the

day the response mentioned in subsection 7.1 (8) is provided.

Requests

for information

(3) For

the purposes of subsection (1), the following persons and organizations shall provide

such information respecting organic waste to the Minister as the Minister

requests:

1. The

Authority.

2. Municipalities.

3. Landfill

site operators.

4. Companies

or organizations that provide services to collect, sort, process or haul waste.

5. Owners

of commercial, institutional and industrial properties.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Diverting Waste from

Landfills and Reducing Greenhouse Gases Act, 2026 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

June 2, 2026

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

June 2, 2026

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

June 2, 2026

Carried

Ordered for Second Reading