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Ontario's 2027 landfill rule for excess soil
From January 1, 2027, cleaner excess soil can no longer be landfilled in Ontario. Here is what changes and what does not.
What changes
Section 22 of O. Reg. 406/19 takes effect on January 1, 2027. From that date, excess soil that meets Table 2.1 residential, parkland and institutional standards, or cleaner, may not be deposited at a landfill or dump.
What stays allowed
- A landfill can still take that soil for its own operations, such as daily cover, final cover, roads and berms.
- A qualified person can declare that the soil is not suitable for reuse as structural fill because of its physical or chemical characteristics.
- A qualified person can declare that the soil contains a parameter with no standard, and that placing it at a reuse site may cause an adverse effect.
The qualified person keeps the declaration for seven years. The landfill and the site that loaded the soil keep it for two.
What does not change
Soil that only meets Table 3.1 is not covered. It can still go to a landfill that will take it, to a reuse site where Table 3.1 applies, or to a transfer site like ours.
What to do now
If your 2027 jobs were priced with landfill as the destination for clean soil, find a receiving site before you dig. Both of our locations take Table 1, Table 2.1 and Table 3.1 soil.
Questions
Does the 2027 rule apply to Table 3 soil?
No. It covers soil that meets Table 2.1 residential, parkland and institutional standards, or cleaner. Soil that only meets Table 3.1 is not covered.
Can a landfill still take clean soil for cover?
Yes. A landfill can still take that soil for its own operations, such as daily cover, final cover, roads and berms.
Was the date not 2025?
It was. The rule was first set for January 1, 2025 and was moved to January 1, 2027.
This page is a plain-language summary, not legal or technical advice. The regulation, the Soil Rules and each approval govern.
Send your lab results. Get a written answer.
Tell us about the soil and where it is coming from. We check it against our approvals before a truck is loaded.