Pressure Treated Wood Disposal Ban

Posted on:
June 27, 2024

New Tip Fees to Dispose of Treated Wood in the Municipality of the County of Victoria

What is happening?

• Beginning Friday, July 5, 2024, residents, and commercial customers of Municipal waste management facilities (Baddeck and Dingwall) will be charged a tip fee for disposal of treated wood. 
• Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change banned treated wood from disposal in Construction & Demolition (C&D) cells in 2023 – the ban must be enforced July 5, 2024. 

Why is there a new tip fee? 

• The new fee is to cover additional costs to transport and properly dispose of treated wood from Victoria County at the Waste Management Facility in Guysborough.  

Why does treated wood need to be transported to another waste facility?

• In 2023, the Province of Nova Scotia banned treated wood from disposal at Construction & Demolition (C&D) sites to help prevent contamination of groundwater and surface water.
• Some municipalities, including Victoria County, have a C&D disposal cell. However, due to the change in Provincial regulations, these cells no longer meet the guidelines required to receive chemically treated wood.
• Rather than Victoria County banning treated wood, it was decided that our facilities will accept this material and ship it to the Guysborough Waste Management Facility where the landfill disposal cell meets the newly implemented regulations.

Why doesn’t Victoria County have appropriate C&D cells?

• The C&D cell at the Baddeck Waste Management Facility was designed and built to meet Provincial regulations that existed prior to 2023. Prior to 2023, the province approved disposal of treated wood in C&D cells.
• The only place that treated wood can be disposed of is a landfill site. The closest landfill is in Guysborough.

Do I have an option not to pay the tipping fee to dispose of my treated wood?

• Yes, if a customer wishes to transport their treated wood to Guysborough, rather than have it transported, this option is available.

Will I need to separate materials?

• Yes, material will need to be separated to ensure customers are charged an accurate amount to dispose of treated wood.
• Treated wood needs to be broken down from its original structure as much as possible.  For example, disposing of an old deck, take down the handrails, remove deck boards, pull the steps apart and break down the joists.

What is the cost?  

Beginning July 5, 2024 – the cost to dispose of treated wood at Municipal waste management facilities will be: 

What type of contamination protection does the Guysborough Landfill C&D site offer?

• High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) cell lining systems to prevent landfill gas migration and create barriers to protect ground water.
• Leachate collection and treatment systems to remove leachate from landfill cells to be transported to licensed off-site disposal facilities or directed to on-site treatment plants.
• Landfill gas collection systems to direct landfill gas to energy generation facilities or facility flares for combustion. These systems work to reduce odors and the release of air emissions including greenhouse gases.
• Daily and Final cover to contain waste in place, minimize water infiltration, reduce landfill gas emissions, and prevent vermin.
• Stormwater management systems including basins, drainage trenches, stormwater ponds and conveyance systems to prevent stormwater runoff from contacting the landfilled waste materials.

Provincial Pressure Treated Wood Disposal Ban Q&A