Less waste in Burlington, Oakville, Milton as people returned to work following pandemic

Halton Region handled far less garbage from Burlington, Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills last year.

The amount of solid waste material managed by the Region decreased by more than 18,000 tonnes (about 7.6 per cent) in 2022, according to a report that will be presented to Regional council tomorrow.

The annual report summarizes the year in garbage in the region.

“In 2022, solid waste tonnes in all waste streams decreased and the waste generation rate returned to pre-pandemic levels,” said the conclusion of the report.

“This is as a result of people returning to the workplace and a resumption of routine daily activities following the lifting of many restrictions that had been implemented to address the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The amount of garbage making its way to landfills was down by 5.1 per cent. Per capita, each resident was responsible for about 151 kilograms of waste, a decrease of nine kilograms from 2021.

About 57 per cent of waste was diverted from landfills to the recycling stream.

According to the report, the Halton Waste Management Site is on pace to reach capacity between 2044 and 2048.