Waste Management
Oxford County manages a leading waste management program, consistently reaching top rankings for waste diversion in its class among Ontario municipalities. Garbage and recycling is collected from roughly 28,700 households, through an external service provider, across six area municipalities, while the roughly 23,150 households in the remaining two area municipalities receive garbage and recycling collection services by the area municipality.
Oxford County maintains one active waste management facility located near the village of Salford. The site has received domestic and commercial solid waste, brush, non-hazardous solid industrial and other waste limited to sewage sludge and non-hazardous industrial sludges for onsite disposal since mid June 1986. Oxford County strives to divert as much material from landfill as possible through a variety of composting, recycling, and diversion programs. Waste management assets are managed and maintained to meet provincially issued system and facility operating permits.
This portfolio is categorized into seven components. They are assets associated with closed landfills, the active landfill including monitoring wells, diversion program assets, facilities, leachate collection system, gas collection system and other furniture and equipment.
Inventory
| Asset Component | Unit | Current Inventory | Replacement Cost |
| Facilities | bldg | 10 | $4,977,661 |
| Active Landfill | site | 1 | 153,772 |
| Closed Landfills | site | 8 | 206,300 |
| Diversion Program | total | N/A | 2,148,445 |
| Gas Collection System | total | N/A | 2,944,066 |
| Leachate Collection System | total | N/A | 5,000 |
| Furniture and Equipment | total | N/A | 940,137 |
| Total Replacement Cost | $11,375,381 | ||
Replacement Costs were determined by recent tenders where possible, and by estimates from consultants and County staff if inflated historical costs were deemed to be insufficient.
For the active landfill site, the current anticipated year of closure is 2052. The County continues to look at maximizing the usage of the active site through diversion and reduction efforts.
Currently there have been no discussions around a new site once the active landfill reaches capacity, therefore the replacement costs presented do not reflect this. The leachate collection system is generally anticipated to last until landfill closure, and therefore replacement would not be required.
Condition
The assessment approach utilizes a combination of physical assessments, asset attributes, as well as established anticipated useful lives. The County has two consultants for the landfill and leachate systems, and the landfill gas system that complete annual reports as required by various provincial and federal legislation. The condition of various landfill assets are monitored through this process and staff are notified if assets will need to be replaced. Additionally, County staff do annual inspections of the closed landfills and other assets.
The facilities component is primarily in good to excellent condition as the Waste Management Administration Building was constructed in 2018 and the Landfill Scalehouse in 2023, representing 84% of the replacement costs for this component. The gas collection system has several components being replaced over the next few years as the original components are starting to meet replacement and rehabilitation timelines.
Key Performance
| Key Service Attribute | LOS Statement | Performance Measure | 2022 | 2023 | Target |
| Reliability | Providing safe and reliable waste management services | % of time gas collection system is down | 39.6% | 32% | TBD |
| Environment Stewardship | Providing waste management services that are environmentally conscious | % of overall waste diversion | 41.4% | 43.4% | TBD |
| % of facilities operating within Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) requirements | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Funding Gap Analysis
This portfolio is currently funded through an annual levy contribution to the Landfill and Waste Diversion Reserve Fund, which began in 2024, along with interest earned on the balance of the reserve funds. The County has also utilized the available balance in this reserve fund for issuance of debentures, which are required to be re-paid, with interest, over a 5 or 10 year period.
The graph illustrates the anticipated asset management 10-year needs (expenditures) and anticipated funding for the 2024 to 2033 period, reflecting an approximate $10.1 million surplus in funding availability over the period.
While the funding is sufficient over the current 10-year period it is important to note the extent of the projected non-lifecycle needs. It is imperative that the annual levy contribution to the Landfill and Waste Diversion Reserve Fund introduced in 2024 continue indefinitely. Significant non-lifecycle needs are also anticipated for the 2034 to 2043 period. It is anticipated that the annual contribution will need to increase by more than inflation to ensure expenditure obligations are met over the 20-year period.