ontario regulation 217/08

made under the

environmental protection act

Made: June 17, 2008
Filed: June 19, 2008
Published on e-Laws: June 20, 2008
Printed in The Ontario Gazette: July 5, 2008


Amending Reg. 347 of R.R.O. 1990

(General — Waste Management)

1. (1) Subsection 1 (1) of Regulation 347 of the Revised Regulations of Ontario, 1990 is amended by adding the following definitions:

“engineered facility” means, in respect of a landfilling site, anything affixed to or made part of land that is intended to be a functional element or feature of the landfilling site for more than five years and that is created or put in place by human activity;

“total waste disposal volume” means, for a landfilling site, the maximum volume of waste, including the volume of any daily or intermediate cover, to be deposited at the site in the space extending from the base of the waste fill zone or the top of any engineered facilities located on the base of the site to the bottom of the final cover;

“waste fill zone” means the three-dimensional zone in which waste is disposed of by landfilling;

(2) Section 1 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following subsection:

(1.1) For the purpose of better understanding the definition of “engineered facility” in subsection (1), the following things are examples of common engineered facilities, if they are intended to be functional elements or features of a landfilling site for more than five years:

1. Berms.

2. Drainage ditches.

3. Liners.

4. Covers.

5. Pumps.

6. Facilities to detect, monitor, control, collect, redirect or treat leachate, surface water or ground water.

7. Facilities to detect, monitor, control, collect, redirect, treat, utilize or vent landfill gas.

2. The Regulation is amended by adding the following sections:

11.1 (1) The owner and the operator of a landfilling site described in subsection (2) shall ensure that on or before June 30, 2009 a written report is submitted to the Section 39 Director respecting,

(a) the design, operation, maintenance and monitoring of the facilities for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation and following site closure; and

(b) if any of the facilities referred to in clause (a) already exist, the improvements, if any, that can be made to those facilities to increase the amount of landfill gas generated by the site that can be collected, and burned or used, and the date by which the improvements can be made and implemented.

(2) This section applies to a landfilling site that meets the following criteria:

1. The site accepts only municipal waste for disposal.

2. On or after June 30, 2009, the site will landfill waste under a certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval issued under Part V of the Act.

3. On or after June 30, 2009, the site will have a total waste disposal volume of more than 1.5 million cubic metres.

4. A written report has not been required to be prepared with respect to the site under subsection 15 (1) of Ontario Regulation 232/98 (Landfilling Sites) made under the Act.

(3) This section does not apply to a landfilling site associated with forest products operations, such as the operations of a lumber mill, sawmill, pulp mill or similar facility, if the waste deposited at the site is produced by the forest products operations and is predominantly solid, non-hazardous process waste, such as woodwaste, effluent treatment solids, hog fired boiler ash, recycling process rejects, lime mud, grits or dregs.

(4) This section does not apply to a landfilling site if the only waste landfilled at the site is coal ash.

(5) This section does not apply to a landfilling site if a written report is submitted to the Section 39 Director before June 30, 2009 showing that the nature and quantity of landfill gas generated by the site is not likely to be of significant concern to the Director, based on the following factors:

1. The characteristics of the site.

2. The type of waste to be deposited.

3. The rate at which waste is deposited at the site.

(6) This section does not apply to a landfilling site that meets the following criteria:

1. The site operates under a certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval issued under Part V of the Act.

2. The certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval permits the use of facilities for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation but does not require that some or all of those facilities be used.

3. The site has in operation facilities that are not required by the certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation.

4. The owner or the operator of the site gives the Section 39 Director a written notice that,

i. specifically mentions this subsection, and

ii. requests that this section not apply.

11.2 (1) If section 11.1 does not apply to a landfilling site because the criteria listed in subsection 11.1 (6) are met, the owner and the operator of the site shall ensure that, on or before June 30, 2009, a written report is submitted to the Section 39 Director,

(a) identifying the areas of the site where facilities for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation are in operation and for which there is no requirement under the certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval under which the site operates;

(b) describing the design and operation of the facilities for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation and following site closure in the areas of the site that are identified in clause (a);

(c) respecting the design, operation, maintenance and monitoring of the facilities for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation and following site closure in the areas of the site that are not identified in clause (a); and

(d) if any of the facilities referred to in clause (c) already exist, respecting the improvements, if any, that can be made to those facilities to increase the amount of landfill gas generated by the site that can be collected, and burned or used, and the date by which the improvements can be made and implemented.

(2) The owner and the operator of a landfilling site for which a written report must be submitted under subsection (1) shall ensure that, on or before June 30, 2016, a written report is submitted to the Section 39 Director respecting,

(a) the design, operation, maintenance and monitoring of the facilities for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation and following site closure; and

(b) if any of the facilities referred to in clause (a) already exist, the improvements, if any, that can be made to those facilities to increase the amount of landfill gas generated by the site that can be collected, and burned or used, and the date by which the improvements can be made and implemented. 

11.3 (1) Subject to subsection (2), the owner and the operator of a landfilling site to which section 11.1 or 11.2 applies shall ensure that the following facilities and improvements to the facilities are in operation for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation and following site closure:

1. If section 11.1 applies, the facilities referred to in clause 11.1 (1) (a) and any improvements identified under clause 11.1 (1) (b).

2. If section 11.2 applies, the facilities referred to in clause 11.2 (1) (c) and any improvements identified under clause 11.2 (1) (d).

(2) If, after receiving the report submitted under subsection 11.1 (1) or 11.2 (1), the Section 39 Director has required facilities other than the facilities referred to in subsection (1) as a condition of a certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval, the owner and the operator shall ensure that the facilities required by the Director are in operation for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the site during site operation and following site closure.

(3) This section applies to a portion of a waste fill zone in a landfilling site to which section 11.1 applies or in an area of a landfilling site to which section 11.2 applies that is not identified in clause 11.2 (1) (a) if, at any time on or after December 31, 2010,

(a) the portion of the zone has reached its maximum capacity; or

(b) no further waste has been deposited in the portion of the zone during the preceding six months.

11.4 (1) The owner and the operator of a landfilling site described in subsection (4) shall ensure that for 2009 and every subsequent year, an annual report is submitted to the Director of the Environmental Monitoring and Reporting Branch of the Ministry on or before June 1 of the following year.

(2) The report required under subsection (1) shall be in writing and shall include the following with respect to the facilities for the collection, and for the burning or use, of landfill gas generated by the landfilling site during site operation and following site closure:

1. A statement of the total landfill gas volume collected by the facilities at the site during the year.

2. A statement of the percentage of the volume described in paragraph 1 that was methane gas.

3. A statement of the reduction in methane emissions from the landfilling site associated with the burning or use of landfill gas during the year, expressed in units of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and based on a global warming potential of 21 for methane gas.

4. A description of how sound scientific or engineering principles have been used to support the statements required by paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.

5. All calculations and information that support the statements required by paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.

(3) The report required for 2009 under subsection (1) shall include the information described in subsection (2) only for the period that begins on June 30, 2009 and ends on December 31, 2009.

(4) This section applies to a landfilling site that meets the following criteria:

1. The site accepts only municipal waste for disposal.

2. On or after June 30, 2009, the site landfills waste under a certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval issued under Part V of the Act.

3. On or after June 30, 2009, the site has a total waste disposal volume of more than 1.5 million cubic metres.

(5) This section does not apply to a landfilling site associated with forest products operations, such as the operations of a lumber mill, sawmill, pulp mill or similar facility, if the waste deposited at the site is produced by the forest products operations and is predominantly solid, non-hazardous process waste, such as woodwaste, effluent treatment solids, hog fired boiler ash, recycling process rejects, lime mud, grits or dregs.

(6) This section does not apply to a landfilling site if the only waste landfilled at the site is coal ash.

(7) This section does not apply to a landfilling site for which a written report has been submitted to the Section 39 Director under subsection 11.1 (5).

(8) This section ceases to apply to a landfilling site if the Section 39 Director amends a certificate of approval or provisional certificate of approval issued under Part V of the Act to state that the nature and quantity of landfill gas generated by the site is not of significant concern to the Director.

11.5 (1) On request of the Section 39 Director, the owner or the operator who is required to submit a report under section 11.1, 11.2 or 11.4 shall provide further information with respect to the subject matter of the report.

(2) The information requested under subsection (1) shall be provided to the Director who made the request by a date set by the Director at the time of the request.

3. This Regulation comes into force on the day it is filed.