Dumping To Be Curtailed At Loughborough Waste Site

Jeff Green | Aug 21, 2025

A year ago, on August 13, 2024, public works staff reported to South Frontenac Council that the Loughborough Waste Site had approximately enough usable space to absorb about 1.2 years of material from South Frontenac residents, and space for an additional 15 years of dumping in an additional patch of land called zone 2B at the site. Provided the Ministry of the Environment approved the use of Zone 2B before the existing space was filled, there would have been no interruption in dumping at the site.

However, the hoped for approval of Zone 2B has been delayed.

“That next phase of expansion, while recognised by the Ministry, is currently on hold pending resolution of Reasonable Use Concept (RUC) limits for groundwater quality exceedances north of the site. Resolution of these conditions is expected to take some time and as such, operational changes are necessary in 2025 to continue service delivery at the site ,” said an updated public works report by Troy Dunlop that was presented to South Frontenac Council last week (August 12).

The result is that the Loughborough Waste Site will need to begin operating as a transfer station in a short time.

This reality was envisioned by the time the 2025 budget was being prepared, and $65,000 was allocated to retrofit the site and equip it with roll over bins. Now that the changeover is imminent, Staff came back to Council with proposed changes to the list of materials that the Loughborough site will accept, and the fee structure.

Tires, cardboard, and metal will still be received at the site for free, but construction materials and furniture (sofas, mattresses, box springs, chairs, tables, etc) will no longer be accepted. Sinks, toilets and tubs, will also not be accepted. All of the above categories will be accepted at the Portland dump on Road 38 near Verona, however.

Fibreglass boats, which were accepted at the Loughborough Site for a range of fees based on the size of boat, will no longer be accepted, at any price, at waste sites in South Frontenac.

Small and medium sized utility trailer loads (12 feet or under), l½ ton and 1 ton truck loads, as well as other loose material, will still be accepted at Loughborough, but larger trailers and single, double and triple axle truck loads will have to go to Portland.

As is already the case, appliances and yard waste are only accepted at the Portland site,  and electronic waste and batteries at the 2491 Keeley Road site.

The fee structure for loads and materials still accepted at Loughborough is changing as well, and will be the subject of a public meeting on September 16.

The fee structure for waste disposal is not consistent at all the sites, and this is partially being addressed with these changes, according to Troy Dunlop of the Public Works Department.

He said that a comprehensive review of waste charges is necessary, but will have to wait until early 2026.

“Once the township has fully moved out of the Blue Box Transition period in January 2026, it is recommended that a comprehensive review of waste disposal fees and charges be advanced for further review and consideration. This timeline will also provide Public Services with adequate opportunity to better understand any changes in trends on vehicle counts, tonnages, tipping fees and revenues resulting from the new operations,” he said, in a report to Council.

“I think when we do that, we should look at what is charged at waste disposal contractors in the City of Kingston. “We don't have to make a profit, like they do, but our prices should reflect the true costs and I think they need to go up to do that. The reality is that we could be shipping out all our waste some day, like we already do in Storrington,” said Mayor Ron Vandewal.