As the District of Muskoka works towards its goal of 60 percent waste diversion, Renee Recoskie, the district’s director of waste management and environmental services, says it will need to involve bold, new strategies.
She says there was a slight uptick in the rate in 2023 with Muskoka’s waste diversion rate now sitting at 37 percent.
“A lot of that diversion, we’re happy to see, is with people managing their organics,” explains Recoskie, adding they saw a “measurable increase” between Jan. and Dec. 2023.
As part of the district’s waste diversion push, it created the Muskoka Recycles app which includes a “waste wizard” that allows users to type in what they’re looking to get rid of and it tells them the best way to dispose of it.
Recoskie says organics are the “lowest hanging fruit” in reaching the district’s diversion target. She points out that around 30 to 40 percent of what people throw out is organic and doesn’t need to go to the Rosewarne Landfill in Bracebridge. “It’s a misconception that material can decompose – or turn into compost – within the landfill itself,” continues Recoskie. She explains waste needs oxygen to transform into something reusable but when it goes to the landfill, it’s starved of oxygen when it gets compacted and compressed.
“The district is going to be creating an education campaign to help spread the news and help share what other options folks might have for managing their organic material at home,” says Recoskie.
The Rosewarne Landfill, located at 1091 Rosewarne Dr. in Bracebridge, is the only active landfill in Muskoka. There are a handful of waste drop-off locations scattered throughout Muskoka.
In March 2024, district council approved Fowler Construction to construct the fourth cell at the landfill.
Recoskie explains the facility was opened in Nov. 2016 with room for 950,000 tonnes of waste and nine cells. She says the third cell was built in early 2022 and will likely reach capacity before the end of 2024.
When the landfill was built, she says it was estimated it would reach its capacity and close no later than 2041. However, Recoskie shares the latest estimate the district sent to the Ministry of the Environment projects the facility will be full by 2039. “Overall, we’re keeping on pace with what those projections are but there’s certainly ways to increase our diversion and really try to extend the life of our landfill,” she continues.
In an April 17 report to the district’s Engineering and Public Works Committee, Recoskie detailed how Rosewarne was one of the busiest waste facilities in 2023. Eveleigh in Muskoka, Beiers in Gravenhurst, and McLean in Lake of Bays rounded out the list. However, Stisted in Huntsville is “lower than expected,” considering it supports a large area. Recoskie wrote it averaged 46 transactions a day compared to 307 at Rosewarne.
Last year, she said there were over 420,000 transactions at the 11 drop-off sites supervised by the district, which was a 5 percent increase from 2022.
Recoskie says extending the life of the landfill is in everyone’s best interest which is why the district is boosting its educational efforts.
Notably, the district is working on a solid waste master plan, which Recoskie details will be a “comprehensive, overarching document” that dives into the next 30 years of waste like what will be done with it when Rosewarne closes. She says it will involve public consultation, including a community-based steering committee, and will likely take over two years to finish.
“We’re really looking for individuals that represent all segments of our population in the district,” says Recoskie. “That could be community groups, that can be businesses, residents, youth. We’re very excited to try and get everyone’s voice heard through this process.”
In the short term, Recoskie is working to boost the district’s educational efforts, which includes an open house with the district’s Public Works Department at the Rosewarne Landfill on May 25.