The City of Lloydminster Sanitary Landfill is located approximately 3.5 km north of 44 Street on 40 Avenue, on the east side of the road, and can also be accessed via 50 Avenue. (Image Credit: Google Map)

By Kenneth Cheung

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

Master plan shows nearly 50 per cent of Lloyd landfill waste could be recoverable

Mar 27, 2026 | 1:30 PM

Nearly half of what Lloydminster residents throw away could be recycled or diverted, but tens of thousands of tonnes still end up buried each year. It’s a concerning trend city officials say could drive up long-term costs.

Council has voted to adopt, in principle, a 20-year Integrated Waste Management and Facility Master Plan, outlining how the city will handle waste as its population grows and service demands increase.

The plan estimates the city’s landfill has about 56 years of remaining capacity, extending to roughly 2080.

The city currently diverts about 30 to 35 per cent of its waste, while roughly 24,000 tonnes are landfilled annually. A waste audit found nearly half of disposed materials – including paper, plastics and metals – could be recycled or otherwise diverted.

Residents generate about 850 kilograms of waste per person each year.

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Mayor Gerald Aalbers said reducing what goes into the landfill remains the most effective way to control long-term costs.

“Everything that our residents can do to limit what goes into the garbage is going to save everyone in the long term,” he said.

The master plan calls for expanding organics collection to multi-family housing and businesses, improving recycling systems and increasing education to reduce contamination in existing programs.

The city’s population is projected to grow from about 32,000 residents in 2024 to more than 50,000 by 2045, increasing pressure on waste infrastructure and operations.

The plan outlines potential upgrades, such as new landfill cells, changes to site layout and traffic flow, a relocated entrance and expanded environmental systems to manage leachate and gas emissions.

City Manager Dion Pollard said the plan will be updated every five years to reflect changes in technology, regulations and waste trends.

Councillor Jim Taylor said failing to manage waste properly now could lead to higher costs later.

“The cost at the back end when you’re decommissioning that landfill… if we don’t manage it properly, that cost is going to go up through the roof,” he said.

Council members also noted that newer technologies, such as waste-to-energy systems, may not be feasible for a city the size of Lloydminster due to cost and scale.

Director of Environmental Services Karen Dela Rosa said the plan allows flexibility moving forward.

“So if in the future we do find some technologies that are suitable and we can build it fit for our purpose, we can definitely pivot knowing that the landfill will continue to have liability.”

Council approved the plan unanimously.

Officials believe the most immediate impact will come from residents, as reducing and properly sorting waste remains the simplest way to extend the landfill’s lifespan and limit future costs.

Council also gave first reading to a borrowing bylaw allowing the city to take on up to $4.6 million in debt for a new landfill operations building, entrance and scalehouse, with final design and contract approvals still to come.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com