TIMMINS - With the city's rural landfills nearing capacity, residents are being asked for feedback on rural curbside waste collection.
Two public sessions are planned on the potential changes.
The first is Monday, March 24 from 4-7 p.m. at the Connaught Community Centre. The second is Tuesday, March 25 from 4-7 p.m. at the Timmins Public Library. An online survey will also be available from March 21-April 11.
The city operates five rural landfills. The ones affected by the conversation are Evelyn Township in the Ice Chest Lake Road area, German Township that services in and around Connaught, and Thornloe Township.
In Timmins, the city says about 320 residents rely solely on rural landfills.
At Timmins council's last meeting in February, the staff recommendation was to start the closure and monitoring plans for the rural landfills. Two other options were also presented though: closing the landfill and developing a transfer station or consulting with the province to expand, which could be expensive.
The breakdown of each site is:
- German Township - The latest trench was dug in 2024 and is expected to be the last. Each trench has a 2-3 year lifespan.
- Evelyn Township - One to two years of cell space is left.
- Thornloe Township - One final cell is expected.
All three of these sites have good user compliance, according to the city report.
The other two rural landfills are Robb Township and the Tisdale Transfer Station.
Robb Township is for the Kamiskotia Lake area. Because of continued user abuse, the site is not reopening in the spring. The Tisdale Transfer Station is no longer a landfill, but has bins for excess household waste and recycling.
More information on rural curbside collection is available here.