Solid waste services are provided by the City of Ontario.

Ontario provides solid waste collection and disposal services. For solid waste materials that cannot be reduced at the source, the City must take steps to maximize recycling and composting to ensure efficient collection and safe, environmentally sound disposal.  If not recycled or composted, solid waste takes up landfill space that is very limited.  Waste materials cause environmental impacts at each stage of their life cycle.  There are environmental and economic impacts associated with the manufacture, transport, sale, disposal and recycling of solid waste.

The treatment and disposal of solid waste traditionally creates significant unusable by-products and energy demands.  The first approach to reduce the City’s waste stream should be to reduce the generation of waste and find ways waste can be reused and recycled.  New technologies and approaches can be used to reduce these impacts through recycling of construction, consumer, green and liquid waste and utilizing these waste products to generate renewable energy that reduce impacts on landfills. There is value in reducing the City’s waste stream to as low as possible.  Waste by-products that are channeled into a revenue stream reduce the demand upon facilities and reduce the use of non-renewable materials.  The City cannot achieve its growth vision without decreasing waste by-products and freeing up capacity in landfills.  Natural ecosystems efficiently breakdown waste by-products and are often more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally sensitive than man-made systems.  While natural systems may be the optimal choice, the City recognizes the need to integrate both natural and manmade systems and processes to manage waste.