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Ottawa City Council is considering dealing with its waste residuals by incinerating them. This is a bad, bad idea.
(“Waste residuals” means what’s left over after diversion—that is, recycling, composting, and so on.)
Incineration is problematic for a number of reasons, each of which is compelling enough on its own to avoid incineration:
- Climate: Incineration generates substantial greenhouse gases.
- Environment: Incineration produces toxic compounds that find their way into air, soil, and water
- Health: The toxic compounds that incineration produces cause nasty health effects, like cancer
- Cost: Incineration is very expensive, both to build and to operate, and actual costs often overrun projections
Here’s some of our work on this issue:
- Apr 2024: We invited councillors to a webinar explaining the dangers of incineration and shared resources with them
- Sep 2024: We published a blog post exploring the connection between waste management and environmental justice by a member of our Council Watch program
- Mar 2025: We helped host a briefing for councillors on the dangers of incineration
- Apr 2025: We spoke with Capital Current about our concerns with Council exploring incineration
- Jun 2025: We assisted our partners Waste Watch Ottawa in creating FAQs on incineration.
- Current: We’re currently mobilizing around a feasibility study that’s recommending incineration for Ottawa’s waste residuals
We strongly encourage you to learn about incineration: there’s lots of misinformation floating around on the subject. One great resource is Waste Watch Ottawa’s Incineration FAQs, where you’ll also find links to supporting evidence. There are also several resources and websites at the bottom of this page.
In terms of taking other action, please speak with your councillor and share some of the information above and your concerns with the threat to our air, soil, water, and community. And as these discussions develop, we'll be sharing more information—so please stay tuned by following our social media (@EcologyOttawa) or subscribing to our newsletter!