These items are accepted for disposal in the landfill (disposal fees may apply):
- Basic sanitary waste
- Construction/demolition waste
- Clean concrete over four inches in size – no rebar or debris
- Contaminated yard waste
- Clean fill
Waste Management Facility (Landfill)
Located three kilometers off Highway 41A just past Medicine Hat city limits, the Waste Management Facility (landfill) is a non-hazardous class II facility consisting of:
- The municipal landfill
- Compost production and sales
- Recycling and diversion of various items, including certain types of industrial waste
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Hours of operation
- Open: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday
- Closed: Sundays and statutory holidays
Location
Go eastbound on Industrial Avenue SE as road becomes Highway 41A. Just after Veinerville, turn north on Range Road 53 and follow for about 1.8 km. Scale House entrance is located on north side of the road.
High winds notice
In high winds or extreme weather conditions, the landfill may limit the type of loads accepted or close entirely. Feel free to contact the landfill scale house at 403-527-1718 or Environmental Utilities at 403-529-8176 to confirm the facility’s operational status before heading out.
Download the Recycle Coach App to your Apple or Android smartphone to receive updates and messages about hours or program changes.
Acceptable materials
These items are accepted for use in the compost operations (disposal fees may apply):
- Contracted residential yard waste materials
- Self-hauled residential yard waste materials
- Clean wood material
Yard waste materials are used to make SureGrow Compost
Waste diversion is the practice of managing materials to reduce waste by providing opportunities to recycle and provide the storage, processing, packaging, and transport for the various divertible wastes.
These items should not be disposed of in your household garbage or recycling since they require special handling. Bring the waste types listed below to the City’s Waste Management Facility for safe and proper disposal, recycling and/or diversion:
- Metal waste including 1lb to 30lb propane tanks, party helium & fire extinguishers
- Appliances containing CFC's/freon
- Bicycles - in partnership with The Cycle Guild of Medicine Hat
- Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) - in partnership with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA)
- Paint products - in partnership with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA)
- Electronic waste and cell phones - in partnership with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA)
- Tires - in partnership with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA)
- Motor oil, filters and containers (small residential amounts) in partnership with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA)
- Cooking oils (small residential amounts)
- Batteries including single use and rechargeable - in partnership with Call2Recycle
Keep all HHW, paint, oil, pesticide etc. in the original container or clearly label the materials in a leak-proof package.
HHW disposal is only available to residents. Commercial vendors must contract a certified provider for disposal.
Disposal Fees
The minimum tipping fee for chargeable waste up to 100kg is $8 per vehicle. Weights over 100kg will be subject to additional fees. Disposal fees are posted in Waste Bylaw #1805, the Environmental Utilities Fees/Rates/Charges Guide as well as the Recycle Coach App.
Important notes to remember:
- Regular disposal rates apply to ALL mixed loads that include chargeable items.
- No GST is charged on Waste Management Facility disposal fees.
- Acceptable forms of payment include cash, credit or debit cards.
- Composition of waste loads is highly variable. The operating staff has final say about the acceptability of any material and the charges applied to each load.
Rates - Effective January 1, 2025
| Commodity (waste) type | Rate | Description |
| Asbestos | $175 per tonne plus special handling fee | 24 hours notice required before hauling. Contact Scale House. Includes site prep, operator time and equipment for burial. |
| Asphalt | $25 per tonne | |
| Appliances containing chlorofluorocarbon/freon (CFC’s) | $20 per item | Refrigerators, air conditioners etc. |
| Basic sanitary waste | $95 per tonne | Residential, commercial, institutional mixed waste. |
| Batteries (all types - single use, rechargeable, cell phone, 12v vehicle) | No charge | Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd); Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH); Lithium Ion (Li-ion); Nickel Zinc (Ni-Zn); Alkaline, Lithium Primary etc. |
| Bulk compost purchase (category A leaf & yard) | $30 per tonne | Self loading or can be loaded with a skid steer/loader if available |
| Bulky items | $15 per item | Mattresses, box springs, sofas, etc. |
| Clean soil (contractor hauled) | $21 per tonne | Soil free of contaminants, no mixed loads. |
| Clean soil (residential) | No charge | Soil free of contaminants, no mixed loads. |
| Concrete > 4" - clean | $125 per tonne | Concrete larger than 4 inches in size with no debris or rebar, no mixed loads. |
| Concrete < 4" - clean | $25 per tonne | Concrete less than 4 inches in size with no debris or rebar, no mixed loads. |
| Construction and demolition waste | Basic sanitary waste tipping fee | Insulation, contaminated drywall or concrete, treated lumber, renovation materials (tiles, electrical materials, doors, windows, ceiling tiles, carpet), etc. |
| Cooking oil (residential quantities only) | No charge | Used cooking oil, grease in small quantities. |
| Drywall (clean) | $25 per tonne | Non-contaminated drywall, no mixed loads. |
| Electronic waste | No charge | Printers, CPUs, keyboards, monitors, laptops, notebooks, televisions (full list can be viewed on Alberta Recycling website). |
| Household hazardous waste - HHW/HSP (residential quantities only) | No charge | Household items with the WHMIS symbol (toxic, corrosive, reactive, combustible), small compressed gas containers (cylinders for camp stoves, party helium), compact fluorescent lightbulbs [CFL], propane tanks and bottles. |
| Metal (excluding light fixtures containing ballasts) | $25 per tonne | Stoves, washers, dryers, hot water tanks, metal sinks, swing sets, barbeques, small appliances. |
| Motor oil (residential quantities only) | No charge | Used lubricating oil, filters, containers. |
| Paint products (for large volumes contact Scale House to ensure request can be accommodated) | No charge | Latex and oil-based interior/exterior paint, finishing oils, stains, varnishes, aerosol paints, empty containers of 5 gallons or less. |
| Special waste | Not accepted | Drugs, medical waste, livestock renderings, firearms, ammunition, etc. |
| Sump waste | Basic sanitary waste tipping fee | Sump Waste Acceptance Form required |
| Tires | No charge | Automotive, ATVs, bicycles. |
| Unsecured load surcharge | $20 per load | Added to scale ticket each time an unsecured load is observed by the Scale Operators. |
| Waste requiring special handling | $65 per tonne | Any waste that requires additional handling, incorrectly declared to Scale House, or poses a nuisance to normal landfill operations. |
| Wood (clean) | $25 per tonne | Lumber, non-contaminated or non-treated (creosote) wood, no mixed loads. |
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Yard waste - contaminated (containing garbage or bagged in plastic) |
Basic sanitary waste tipping fee | Yard waste materials mixed with garbage or bagged in plastic bags. |
| Yard waste - contractor hauled (no contamination or plastic bags) | $25 per tonne | Grass clippings, plant material, tree branches, etc., no mixed loads. |
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Yard waste - self-hauled residential (no contamination or plastic bags) |
No charge |
Grass clippings, plant material, tree branches under 300mm (12”) in diameter, no mixed loads. |
Safety and environment
- Be aware of equipment, large trucks and other vehicles within the facility and on access roads.
- Please keep children and pets inside the vehicle at all times.
- Tarp or cover all open loads to reduce litter and avoid possible fines.
- Facility staff have your safety in mind! Follow all direction provided and obey their authority while on site.
- Obey all signs.
- Please no smoking while on site - fire is a significant hazard at any landfill.
- Removal of material from disposal areas is unlawful, unsafe and could result in fines.
- Unload your materials as quickly as possible to allow the next customer time to unload.
- Keep the transfer bin area clean by placing all loose items inside a bin.
- When unloading at the materials recovery area (HHW, e-waste, paint etc.), deposit items in the appropriate location to avoid contamination.
General information
A landfill, also referred to as a dump, is a large depression in the ground (like a crater) where solid waste (garbage) is disposed of. Medicine Hat's municipal landfill is one of the last few remaining natural coulee fill landfills.
The landfill working face is continually compacted and covered. Compaction minimizes oxygen flow and increases landfill airspace while the cover is a regulated component used to limit litter and control environmental nuisances.
The City of Medicine Hat's industrial cells consist of leachate collection systems and a bottom geomembrane liner in combination with a geo-synthetic clay liner system. These systems act as the barrier between the leachate and the soil and groundwater.
The Waste Management Facility accepts non-hazardous industrial waste and oilfield waste that meets specific requirements. Disposal must be pre-approved through Secure Energy Services
What happens to diverted materials?
Metal waste is sold to a scrap metal recycling company that breaks down the item into recyclable components.
Old tires, HHW, e-waste and paint are collected and transferred to the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA) for proper and safe disposal or recycling. Old tires are broken down and repurposed to build playground or spray park surfaces and sidewalks. A TV can be broken down into plastic, glass and metal to be sold to a buyer/processor that recycles the products into new TVs or various other materials.
By diverting as much waste as possible away from the landfill, we can extend its life and avoid having to build a new landfill.
Incorporate the four Rs into your daily routine to reduce the amount of waste you are sending to the landfill:
- Reduce
- Reuse
- Recycle
- Recover
Contact Us
Garbage and Recycling
2190 Brier Park Pl NW
Medicine Hat, AB T1C 1S6
P: 403-529-8176
F: 403-525-8624
Email us
Landfill
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday to Saturday
(closed Sundays and holidays)
P: 403-527-1718
F: 403-525-8624
Google directions
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