In 2008, Canadians produced over 1,031 kilograms of waste per person, virtually the same per capita production as in 2006. Of this total, 777 kg went to landfills or was incinerated while 254 kg was diverted from landfill.
Overall, this translated into 34 million tonnes of waste handled by the waste management industry; 26 million tonnes of that waste was disposed of in landfills or was incinerated and over 8 million tonnes was diverted or processed through material recovery facilities or centralized composting operations.
Approximately 21 million tonnes of waste generated came from non-residential sources while the other 13 million tonnes was from residential sources.
Please read Waste Management Industry Survey: Business and Government Sectors 2008 for more information.