Landfill Airspace
Status: Needs Improving
Landfill airspace is the volume of space on a landfill site permitted for disposal of municipal solid waste. It is comparable to the finite amount of volume in a bathtub or water bottle, and we fill it up a little more each day.
The amount of landfill airspace used each year depends on several factors, including the amount of residential and commercial garbage brought to the landfill, and operations such as compaction and daily cover.
Based on the five-year average of airspace consumption, the City's landfill can accept garbage for an estimated 46 to 54 years. Landfill operating life can be extended through additional waste diversion programs and operational improvements.
The City's 2022-2025 Strategic Plan includes the following key action within the Environmental Sustainability priority area:
- Implement actions in the Solid Waste Reduction and Diversion Plan within proposed timelines to achieve 70% diversion from the Saskatoon Landfill.
Relevant actions from the Low Emissions Community Plan include:
Where are we now?
There is an estimated 6,000,000 to 7,000,000 cubic metres of airspace remaining in the landfill*. In 2020, we used approximately 125,000 cubic metres of airspace.
*requires the construction of additional infrastructure to reach final design
Data Table
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total waste buried (tonnes) | 99,811 | 94,772 | 96,185 | 94,067 | 93,394 |
| Landfill Airspace consumed (m3) | 133,082 | 126,363 | 128,246 | 125,423 | 125,191 |
| Landfill Airspace remaining (m3) | 7,020,360 |
Source: City of Saskatoon – Sustainability and Water & Waste Operations Departments
What Are We Doing?
New Waste Diversion Opportunities in 2023
The City will complete the roll-out of three major waste diversion projects in 2023 - Curbside Organics, Recovery Park, and ICI Waste Diversion Regulations - which are anticipated to achieve waste diversion rates of 41% to 54%.
Solid Waste Reduction and Diversion Plan
The City continues to implement actions identified in the Solid Waste Reduction and Diversion Plan. The plan directly supports Saskatoon's 2022-2025 Strategic Plan and long-term objectives outlined in The Official Community Plan Bylaw, 2020.
Landfill Optimization
Completed in 2011, the City's plan for landfill optimization provides long-term capital project and operational direction to:
- expand the expected life of the landfill to fourty (40) years or more;
- ensure operations comply with (or exceed) environmental protection regulatory requirements;
- ensure the facility minimizes safety risk, litter, and nuisance pests and odours; and
- support good customer service.
What Can You Do?
Residents and business can reduce the amount of waste they send to landfill by utilizing one of the many waste diversion programs offered in the City:
- If you're an eligible household, use your green cart for food & yard waste to divert it from the landfill;
- Divert special recyclable material such as used paint, scrap metal, and batteries from landfill by taking them to a participating drop-off location; and
- Take advantage of one of the City's free community education programs.
Visit the Waste & Recycling webpage to learn more about all the waste, recycling, and organics programs the City has to offer.
Did You Know?
The City's landfill received over 87,000 vehicle visits in 2020.