A new operations centre at Algonquin Highlands’ Maple Lake Landfill is now open to residents.
The collections area has been moved to a more accessible place on the property, with several quality-of-life changes for people dropping things off.
“Really what’s been done is to establish a bin system for household waste and all of our recyclables,” says Algonquin Highlands Mayor Liz Danielsen. “There is still work that’s continuing on industrial and construction waste. But so far, I’ve got to say the work that’s been done has been really well-received.”
According to Danielsen, a study of all the county’s landfills determined that Maple Lake had an estimated 45 years left in its lifespan. With the site seeing on average 30,000 vehicles passing through each year, recommendations were made for efficiency, eco-friendliness, and cost effectiveness.
Danielsen says phase two of the upgrades will include a set of weigh scales for industrial and construction waste, to take the guesswork out of disposal costs. She says that will be completed later this year.
“I would say that it’s much easier for residents to drop things off, for the average household,” says Danielsen. “It all pretty much goes into the same area. Everything is clearly marked. There’s less distance to walk. I would say it’s much more streamlined and easier for everyone to use.”
Danielsen adds that there’s been continuous work done to the road leading into the landfill, a subject of some concern to the community. Although heavy rains have resulted in some setbacks, Danielsen says ongoing improvements are underway.
“So far I’m really pleased with the work that’s been done at the landfill, and hopefully everybody will find it a lot easier to use,” she says.
