Biennial Waste Management Survey

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1995

Reference period of change - 2023

Instrument design - Beginning with the 2023 reference period, the Waste Management Survey changed its frequency from biennial to an annual survey. The new cycle (odd years) only collects information on diversion (composting and recycling) and not on waste disposal (landfills and incinerators).

Reference period of change - 2022

Three new questions were added to the survey to better inform about activities done in facilities receiving waste for diversion. One is related to the organic material processing method (aerobic and anaerobic processing method) was added.

Another one pertains to the percentage of waste arriving at sorting facilities that are not deemed recyclable and disposed of as processing residue. This question is asked for all recycled material regardless of the material type.

A third question was added to ask if recycled plastic is baled and, if so, what specific plastic types were baled. These data will inform the A question to break down the different types of recycled plastics that are processed for recycling. This new question will feed into the plastics flow account.

Reference period of change - 2020

A new respondent type was added to the waste management survey to measure waste managed outside businesses specialized in the waste management industry (for example, a grocery store sending cardboard boxes directly back to paper mill). A sample of businesses specialized in food and beverage retailing, department stores, electronics and appliances retailing, and paper product wholesalers were selected to fill a new set of questions. These questions were related to product take back programs, third party waste management and recyclable material wholesaling.

The survey stopped collecting information on financial and employment characteristics. Other sources of information were deemed more accurate.

Reference period of change - 2018

To align with the Integrated Business Statistics Program (IBSP), an electronic questionnaire (EQ) was used for the first time to survey the waste management industry.

This cycle started collecting information on the sources of individual diversion material (residential and non-residential sources).

The Waste Management Industry Survey: Business Sector (record number 2009) and the Waste Management Industry Survey: Government Sector (record number 1736) were merged into the Waste Management Survey (2009) to simplify data collection and management.

Table 38-10-0138-08 replaced 38-10-0033-01 and 38-10-0034-01.

Reference period of change - 2002

In reference year 2002, the Waste Management Industry Survey was conducted biennially, the survey consisted of two modules directed at businesses and local governments that provide waste management services.

Each module collected information on waste disposal, recycling quantities, financial and employment characteristics from waste management activities.

Reference period of change - 2000

Prior to 1998, the quantity of solid waste exports to the United States was not very significant. In accordance with definitions developed through work with the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment in the late 1980's, the quantities of these exported wastes were not counted as disposal. Only those materials deposited into Canadian landfills or incinerated in Canadian facilities were counted as part of the total amount of sold waste disposed in Canada.

In the two years leading up to the closure of a major southern Ontario landfill in 2002, solid waste exports to Michigan and upstate New York rapidly increased. Therefore, a decision was made to now include these quantities in the disposal totals. Not doing so would have resulted in a large underestimation of the Ontario and Canadian solid waste disposal totals.

Prior to 2000 the export number was suppressed due to reasons of confidentiality, so a historical revision of 1994, 1996 and 1998 disposal totals was not possible. Therefore data users should be aware that comparisons with pre-2000 disposal data with those from 2000 onward should be made with caution as the pre-2000 disposal quantities -- especially for Ontario -- are underestimated.