Solid Waste Regulations
Construction Requirements for
New Public Waste Disposal Facilities
Although most public waste disposal facilities (commonly called “dumps” or “landfills”) in the
Yukon will remain in operation for years, some are nearing the end of their capacity to accept
more garbage and will have to be replaced in the foreseeable future. In anticipation of that time,
Environment Yukon has established construction criteria and requirements for new solid waste
disposal facilities. These requirements are designed to reduce the potential for negative
environmental effects once the facility is operational.
This information sheet presents a broad outline of the construction requirements applicable to
new public facilities where waste is to be buried. The permit issued to each facility under the
Solid Waste Regulations may modify these generic requirements to account for site-specific
factors or to reflect that burial is not the only possible method of waste management.
General Construction Requirements
1. No facility is to be constructed on a site with greater than a 6% slope.
2. All facilities must be constructed with berms and/or ditches as required to prevent surface
water from flowing onto or off of the active portion of the facility, accommodating the larger
of a 1 in 25 year storm event or snowmelt event.
3. Organic overburden must be removed from each cell location, stockpiled, and retained for
the life of the cell for use in restoration and revegetation during closure.
Modified Transfer Stations
A modified transfer station is a waste disposal facility where most types of garbage are
transferred to another facility for final disposal (usually by burial or incineration); the only
exception is that construction and demolition wastes may be buried on-site. In addition to the
general requirements noted above, modified transfer stations must meet one of the following
three construction criteria:
a) Comply with the construction requirements for Class 2 facilities as outlined below;
b) Establish a setback of 1.5 km from the nearest drinking water source and 1 km from the
nearest surface water used by aquatic life; or
c) Implement a groundwater monitoring program to detect contaminant migration and, if
exceedances of the applicable standards in the Contaminated Sites Regulation are
detected, submit and implement an adaptive management plan to address those
exceedances.
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Class 2 Facilities
“Class 2” facilities are public waste disposal sites where waste is buried and/or incinerated, and which
serve populations of less than 13,000 people. Many existing facilities in the Yukon are Class 2 facilities.
In addition to the general requirements noted above, all new Class 2 facilities must be constructed to
one of the following two specifications:
a) The facility must be constructed on a natural or constructed substrate that will support natural
attenuation of landfill leachate. Modeling must be conducted to demonstrate that leachate will
attenuate to the extent that all contaminants will be below the applicable standards in the
Contaminated Sites Regulation at the points of contact with all relevant receptors.
b) If such a substrate is not available, the facility must be constructed with a leachate collection
system in accordance with the requirements for Class 1 facilities described below.
Class 1 Facilities
“Class 1” facilities are public waste disposal sites where waste is buried and/or incinerated, and which
serve populations of 13,000 people or more. Under this definition, the only Class 1 facility currently in
the Yukon is the Whitehorse Solid Waste Disposal Facility. In addition to the general requirements
noted above, all new Class 1 facilities must be constructed to the following specifications:
1. Each Class 1 facility must use one of the following bottom liner systems:
a. A compacted soil liner with a maximum hydraulic conductivity of 1 x 10-7 cm/s and a minimum
thickness of 1 metre;
b. A composite liner consisting of a compacted soil liner with a maximum hydraulic conductivity of
1 x 10-7 cm/s and a minimum thickness of 60 cm, overlaid by an impermeable flexible
membrane liner with a minimum thickness of 60 mil (1.5 mm); or
c. A double liner system consisting of two impermeable flexible membrane liner layers, each with a
minimum thickness of 60 mil (1.5 mm). (This system will be permitted only in areas where lowpermeability soil is unavailable.)
2. All Class 1 facilities must have a leachate collection system installed above the bottom liner. The
leachate collection layer must have a minimum permeability of 1 x 10-3 cm/s and must be of an
appropriate thickness and design, with piping as needed to facilitate the movement of leachate to a
collection point. Where the facility is constructed with a double liner, a leachate collection system
must be installed above each liner.
3. A protective geotextile must be placed immediately above the bottom liner and again immediately
above the leachate collection layer.
4. A protective cushion layer with a minimum thickness of 30 cm must be placed above the top
geotextile to protect the leachate collection system and bottom liner from damage.
5. The facility must be constructed with approximately a 2% slope towards the leachate collection
point to facilitate drainage.
6. If the proponent intends to discharge collected leachate to the sewer system, the proponent must
conduct modelling of the system and testing of the leachate to determine the potential for impacts to
the sewage treatment system.
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Additional Requirements for Class 1 and 2 Facilities
In addition to the above general and class-specific requirements, the following requirements apply to all
Class 1 and 2 facilities:
1. A hydrogeological assessment must be conducted by a qualified professional in order to determine
depth to groundwater, flow direction, gradients, and estimated travel times to potential receptors
and to establish baseline groundwater quality.
2. A groundwater monitoring system must be installed with a sufficient number of wells at locations
and depths that yield samples representative of the shallowest aquifer both upgradient and
downgradient of the facility, as determined by the hydrogeological assessment. Downgradient wells
shall be positioned, where possible, between the facility and downgradient receptors.
New Cell Requirements
As required by the facility’s solid waste permit, notification of a new cell must be submitted to the
Environmental Programs Branch. All new cells must meet siting and construction requirements, as
outlined below.
Notification to the Branch regarding a new cell should include information on:
Cell Siting, including
 a description of soil conditions and surficial geology, as confirmed by test pitting results; and
 a scaled schematic depicting the new cell location in relation to the current cells, including
details on topography, surface draining patterns, and surface water features.
Cell Construction, including details confirming that
 the cell has been constructed in accordance to facility construction requirements listed above,
based on facility class; and
 the base of each new cell is no closer than 3 metres above the highest observed groundwater
level; or
 the base of each new cell is 1.2 metres above the highest observed groundwater table with at
least a 2 metre thick layer of low permeability soil with a hydraulic conductivity of 1x10-6 cm/s
below the entire base of each new cell.
For more information on the Solid Waste Regulations, please contact:
Environmental Programs Branch (V-8)
Environment Yukon
Box 2703
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6
Phone: (867) 667-5683
Toll Free: 1-800-661-0408 extension 5683
Fax: (867) 393-6205
email: envprot@gov.yk.ca
Copies of Yukon regulations may be viewed online at www.environmentyukon.gov.yk.ca/monitoringenvironment/ under the
‘Standards and Approvals’ section, or at any Yukon Public Library, territorial agent, territorial representative or regional
services office. You may purchase copies at the Inquiry Centre, Yukon Government Administration Building, 2071-2nd
Avenue in Whitehorse, or by mail from the Subscriptions Clerk, Yukon Government Queen’s Printer, Box 2703, Whitehorse,
Yukon, Y1A 2C6 (phone (867) 667-5783 or toll free 1-800-661-0408 extension 5783).
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