Admaston/Bromley’s push to produce less waste has been successful, but how quickly it has worked may be another issue.
The township implemented a bag tag system to fund its waste management services in late 2025 in hopes that putting cost control directly in residents’ hands would encourage more conscious garbage and recycling habits.
Outgoing mayor Michael Donohue says nobody expected just how effective the tags would be.
While diverting 75 per cent of expected waste from the landfill is a significant result, the lower-than-expected revenue from bag tags could pose a challenge for the next council.
In 2025, the township had a $360 million budget to cover waste management services, paid mostly through property taxes. The new bag tag system was expected to collect around one and a half large garbage bags per residence and, at $2.50 per tag, would have come out an estimated $300 million in revenue.
The actual garbage totals are far less than anticipated, less than one tag per month by Donohue’s own experience, and the 75% reduction in waste lines up with the $75,000 they now expect to collect from the system.
Donohue says the system will likely need adjustments to reflect the sharp drop in garbage volumes, but he has no regrets about introducing it.
Admaston/Bromley’s main landfill site in Osceola was expanded to increase its life expectancy in 2024, but it may be the last one it gets as the province shifts its attention towards diverting waste from landfills.
(written by Kasey Egan)
