1. Regulations and Best Practices January 2016
Landfills Workshop
Regulations and Best Practices
January 2016

2. Number of Waste Disposal Grounds per Location
Some interesting stats: There are many operating waste disposal grounds in Canada. Compared to other jurisdictions, Saskatchewan has one of the largest numbers of operating landfills for its population. Led by innovative jurisdictions, such as California, the United States has significantly reduced their number of landfills through massive regionalization, innovative developments and landfill efficiency, and increased waste diversion.
In comparison, Ontario 81 landfills for 13 Million people, Alberta has 126 landfills for 4 million people, Manitoba has 132 landfills for 1 million people, while Saskatchewan has 500 active landfills and transfer stations.

3. Fictional Landfill – Tipping Fee Range
Benefits of Working Together – Economies of Scale
SWANA
November 2015

4. Legislation, Regulation
Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2010
Proclaimed June 2015
Municipal Refuse Management Regulations, 1986
Continues in force as landfill chapters of the Code were not proclaimed
Environmental Code
Landfill closures follow the Site Assessment and Corrective Action Plan chapters of the Code
Hazardous Substances and Waste Dangerous Goods Regulations
May apply if storing fuel, used oil, batteries etc.

5. Permits
Private and Industrial landfills are permitted as Industrial Waste Works under EMPA, 2010
Privately owned facilities require a Financial Assurance held by the Ministry
Municipally owned facilities require submission of financial statements verifying money set aside
Municipal landfills continue to be permitted under MRMR, 1986
No Financial Assurance required

6. Requirements
Landfill and Transfer Station chapters of the Code were not proclaimed
Minister's approval is required for establishing, expanding, operating or closing a landfill
Detailed technical investigation is required
Design must provide long-term leachate containment and removal

7. Requirements Groundwater monitoring is required in most circumstances
Operating and Closure plans are required
Landfill closures will be treated as potentially impacted sites
Follow the Site Assessment and Corrective Action Plan chapters

8. Best Practice
Is the approved (regulated) practices of another jurisdiction
Ie: Standards for Landfills in Alberta, 2010
Should be followed in absence of detailed guidance in Saskatchewan
For design and construction of new sites or site expansions
Closure has detailed guidance in Code chapters
MRMR, 1986 has general guidance but no specific practices
Ie: states an application shall indicate the surficial geology, water table, hydraulic gradients, and baseline ground water quality in the area

9. Draft Landfill Code Chapter
Should not be sole reference in applications but could be used as a general guide
Has not been proclaimed
May not have same format/requirements in future
Established industry best practice should be referenced
In most cases best practice from only one jurisdiction should be used
Ie: picking and choosing parts from varying jurisdictions should be avoided

10. Siting
Any proponent who intends to establish or operate a landfill must apply for a permit from the minister authorizing that person to establish a landfill.
Ministry can be involved early in the process to assist with guidance
Several sites should be assessed to narrow down possible locations
Consider all possible receptors, environmental and human
Once a primary location has been chosen:
Complete a full phase II site assessment
Determine the suitability of the site for solid waste disposal

11. Siting MRMR does contain some minimal siting requirements in Section 8
Not to be located:
Within 500m of:
a place where food is cooked, prepared or consumed
motel, hotel, domestic residence
School, church, community center, recreation facility or public building
Within 100m of:
Highway or cemetery

12. Siting Some factors to consider in landfill siting process:
Working through these helps ensure that any “fatal flaws” are identified early in the process
Early public involvement is key
Waste source
Distance to generators
Zoning, planning, or existing land uses
Surface water, Wetlands
Proximity to groundwater resources
Soil types and conditions
Utilities
Public areas such as parks
Traffic
Surrounding land use, protected areas
Endangered plant or animal species
Historical, archeological, social preservation
Visual screening and buffer zones
Floodplains
Other community selection criteria

13. Environmental Assessment
Environmental Assessment of Project
Does the site qualify as a development under the Environmental Assessment Act?
Preform a Proponent Self Assessment through Environmental Assessment Branch
Further information:

14. Design Follow industry accepted Landfill design best practices
Ie: Alberta Code of Practice for Landfills
Considerations:
Site layout: operational, safety, security
Liner system appropriate for waste and soil conditions
Leachate management systems
Landfill gas management
Storm water management
Any future expansion needs
Eventual Closure and final cover systems

15. Design
Design to be appropriate for all types of waste to be accepted and disposed of as well as site conditions
Consider all possible sources of waste: household, commercial, institutional, industrial
Plan on a regional scale and design sites for waste stream
Ie: may have once central solid waste site but may include an inert landfill in region to cut down on transport

16. Design What designated areas need to be planned/considered
Consider efficiencies and security
Will any wastes requiring special handling be accepted?
Will Hazardous Substances and Waste Dangerous Goods Regulations need to be considered?
used oil, batteries, glycol, fuel storage

17. Design
Once all information has been gathered submit application with all supporting documentation and design information to the Ministry for review
Ensure any and all documentation that is reference is appended to the application for reference
MOE will review and may request additional information, clarification, changes etc. before a permit to construct is issued
Review period is general 6-8 weeks with each submission
Allow adequate time in planning for review
Permit to Construct is issued to the owner of the site

18. Construction
Communication with Ministry should be maintained before, during and after construction
When construction is completed verification will be required
As built drawings specifying any minor changes
Letter stating build as per specifications
Letter stating build as per specifications – auditors requirements!

19. Operations
Once construction is completed an application for a permit to operate will be required
Required submission of an operations plan for review and approval
Operations plan can be submitted along with construction application package or after
The operations plan will be a living document to be reviewed and updated annually

20. Operations Plans
Establishes operations routine to improve the efficiency of the operation and maintain compliance
Will identify permit requirements
Will specify daily, weekly, monthly activities
Shall include, at a minimum, procedures for:
Basic site information, hours of operation, equipment
Waste acceptance, placement, cover, compaction
Surface water management
Nuisance controls: litter, animals, dust, etc.
Record keeping, site inspections, annual reporting
Monitoring and maintenance programs for groundwater, leachate etc.
Contingency plans for identified exceedances
Emergency response plan
Current landfill layout plan including elevations and contours

21. Environmental Monitoring
Generally can include:
Groundwater
Landfill gas
Leachate
Surface water
Potential that not all sites require groundwater monitoring
Justification and sign off from a qualified person would be required

22. Environmental Monitoring
Information on monitoring programs as well as interpretation is included in annual reporting
Stating analytical results is not enough
Analytical results without interpretation will not meet permit requirements
Are there exceedances? Are there impacts? What do they mean? Recommended Actions?

23. Expansion
“A horizontal increase outside of the existing approved waste footprint OR volumetric increase of the designed waste disposal capacity.”
Digging a new cell
Switching from trench and fill to mounding/area method
Previous perception was that entire site was “approved” – this is not correct

24. Expansion Similar process to Landfill Design
Site is already “chosen” if expanding at current location
If planning any major changes in waste acceptance should still preform EA Self Assessment
Application to include site assessment information and landfill design (operations plan)

25. Closure Should be closed if:
no longer intending to accept waste
waste has not been accepted for 2 consecutive years
site is at capacity
Notification to ministry of intent to close a landfill at least 180 days prior to closure
Once closure plan is approved an Approval will be issued for decommissioning of the site

26. Closure Initial first steps:
Provide notice to users, including signage on site
Clean up site of any litter, recyclable material etc.
Provide initial cover of waste
Submit Closure Plan for review and approval
Allow 6-8 weeks for initial review and any subsequent discussions
Closure plan should:
Minimize the need for further maintenance
Provide a final state that will have the least potential for future impact on the environment

27. Closure
Closure Plan should be considered in advance and ideally a draft is part of the design plan
Allows for advance budgeting for costs and materials
Planning for remaining site life allows for appropriate calculation of gate fees to ensure money is set aside
For large sites closure is done in a progressive manner
Closure Plan will include:
Site Assessment Information
Follow Site Assessment Chapter requirements
Corrective Action Plan
Follow Corrective Action Plan Chapter requirements

28. Closure Ministry recognizes this is costly process
Municipality should provide notice and complete initial first steps to clean up site
Can discuss appropriate timelines for submission of required information
Completion of site assessment
Implementation of corrective actions

29. Closure Key information to include in Closure Plan:
Owner contact information
Description of all users of the site
Total quantity and description of waste disposed
Period of operation
Site plan showing adjacent land, land uses, location of drinking water wells, surface water bodies w/in 1km
Geographical location of boundary, waste footprint, monitoring wells, leachate holding ponds, storm water ponds etc. and current status
Estimate of remaining contaminating lifespan
Inferred from interpretation of environmental monitoring or site assessment

30. Closure Delineation required Final cap cover
Source of contamination (what is your waste footprint)
Potential/identified impacts
Final cap cover
Required over source to prevent infiltration/minimize leachate generation
Its this required over entire site?
Typically cap/cover only over waste itself
May be instances where large cover/cap is necessary to reduce future potential impacts but not just a case of come in and cap entire site

31. Closure Key activities to include in corrective action plan:
Final site topographic plan
Site drainage plan
Source of cover material
Vegetative cover and landscaping plan
Closing sequence for phased operations
Post closure maintenance and monitoring

32. Closure Key environmental controls in corrective action plan:
Final cover system (clay or otherwise)
Gas control system (if needed)
Groundwater monitoring system
Leachate monitoring and collection as needed
Should also include a schedule of activities and tasks to be completed during post closure care
Other options to clay capping if price/availability of clay in area is expensive – look at alternative options such as geotextile etc.

33. Closure Post Closure/Long term Care
Continue to collect and treat leachate
Provide groundwater monitoring and any contingency action as needed
Provide gas migration and emissions control if needed
Final cover maintenance
Maintenance of any drainage and erosion control features
May be required for as long as the estimated contaminating life span of the site

34. Unlawful Dump Sites Unlawful dumping = Non Permitted Landfills
Will be investigated by MOE Officers.
Waste including C&D waste which has been unlawfully disposed of at a non-permitted site is a contravention of The Municipal Refuse Management Regulations and The Environmental Management and Protection Act, 2010 (EMPA, 2010).
regardless if placed on private or public property.
burning of mixed waste including C&D waste without a permit is prohibited

35. Unlawful Dump Sites
Regulations allow for farmer to dispose of own household waste on own land
Does not allow for business waste to be accepted to own land or waste from others
C&D waste – recycling options
Can include fill, concrete, asphalt etc.
Illegal dumping – permission is given for waste to be disposed of – landfilling w/o permit
Littering – permission is not given, waste is dumped by unknown persons
What does waste include – fill, concrete, asphalt – involve the ministry in discussions

36. Unlawful Dump Sites

37. Unlawful Dump/Burn Sites

38. Unlawful Dump/Burn Sites

39. Unlawful Dump/Burn Sites
May be asked/ordered to clean up and conduct a site assessment by a QP, in particular if material was burnt.
discharges - any at site?
was material just dumped or was it burnt or visible spill of materials?
Site assessment/VSA chapters of code applied.
Corrective Action Plan required.

40. General Information Saskatchewan Environmental Quality Guidelines
SEQG now has criteria for Soil Disposal at Landfills
Limits for maximum allowable concentration for use as daily or intermediate cover

41. General Information Landfill Guidance Documents Online Business
Online Business
Assistance/General Inquiries

42. Discussion on direction of province/program here:
-currently working on development of a Solid Waste Strategy to outline direction the province will be moving in and outline best practices for disposal, stewardship, recycling and education
-moving towards regionalization of waste management in the province
-benefits of regionalization include:
-reduced costs when shared (economies of scale)
-greater access to equipment, personnel, and expertise
-improved environmental protection and safety
Questions?