Providing our customers with waste diversion and reuse services as well as reliable streams of high-quality recycled materials. These services directly support our customers in their transition from a ‘take-make-waste’ extractive economy to a more circular one – reducing their need for virgin materials and helping lower their GHG emissions.
Reducing our own GHG emissions through an achievable and transparent GHG reduction pathway. Through GFL’s Hybrid GHG Emission Reduction Strategy our scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions reduction target is a 30% absolute reduction in emissions by 2030 (2021 base year).
In 2024, we recovered more than 1.2 million tonnes of recyclable materials at our more than 30 material recovery facilities (MRFs) across the United States and Canada. This represents an almost 8% increase in the volume of material recovered at our MRFs since 2021, and puts us on track to achieve our goal to increase recyclables recovered at GFL MRFs by 40% by 2030. Fibre accounted for almost one million tonnes, making it by far the largest share of materials recovered. Plastics, glass, metals and other materials made up the remainder of the materials that we recovered at our MRFs.
Recycling fibre at this scale reduces the need for virgin pulp and paper production, which in turn helps conserve resources and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Since our last report, we commissioned new facilities in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Mayville, Wisconsin, and in Montreal, Quebec which is highlighted on this page.
We continue to expand our recycling network, including the expansion of our award winning MRF in Toronto, Ontario to be completed in 2026. These investments in recycling facilities mean more materials recovered, less waste, and greater support for our customers in achieving their sustainability goals.
By strategically positioning new facilities, we shorten transportation routes and expand our reach to more communities. For example, our new Mayville, Wisconsin MRF is located near more than 15 of our transfer stations, which helps drive increased collection efficiency.
Since 2020, GFL has processed recyclables under the first fully legislated Extended Producer Responsibility framework that is in place in British Columbia. We continue to work with policymakers and producers to develop recycling programs that, based on our experience, will maximize collection efficiency and recovery. Our leadership has also allowed us to support our customers in developing recovery systems that align with their recycling goals and new policies as they evolve.
As we continue to expand our recycling services to support Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs being implemented across Canada, our EPR Team has been at the forefront of our initiatives. Working closely with our recycling collection and MRF operations teams, and with the producer responsibility organizations (PROs) that manage EPR programs, the EPR Team ensures that the goals of the PROs and their constituents are translated into action by GFL’s operational teams. The EPR Team also works with governments across North America to help educate them on the most effective recycling strategies.
We are turning waste into a resource by capturing landfill gas and converting it into renewable natural gas (RNG). Our goal is to double our beneficial use of biogas by 2030, and 2024 was an important year for our progress:
Improved landfill gas capture is also key to achieving our GHG emissions reduction target.
Landfill gas, created from the breakdown of organic matter, can be processed into a renewable energy source that can be used to power vehicles, businesses and homes supporting the transition to lower-carbon solutions.
In 2024, we doubled our original greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target, setting a new target of a 30% reduction by 2030 from our 2021 base year. This target is derived from science-based pathways that address our 3 main sources of emissions:
30% reduction in GHG emissions from our landfills. This target is aligned with the Global Methane Assessment.
42% reduction in fleet emissions. This target is aligned with the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
100% renewable electricity at GFL-owned facilities. This target is aligned with the International Energy Agency’s net-zero pathway.
We are the first in our industry to adopt this hybrid target-setting approach. To ensure our GHG reduction targets are robust and aligned with climate science, GFL engaged a globally recognized sustainability advisory firm to conduct an independent review of the targets and methodology. The third party concluded that GFL’s targets and target-setting approach are consistent with our 3 science-aligned pathways. The review also concluded that our decarbonization efforts are credible and aligned with a science-based 1.5°C pathway.
ENGAGING WITH OUR SUPPLY CHAIN: To assess the alignment of our Sustainability Action Plan with the sustainability efforts of our supply chain, we set a goal to complete sustainability supply chain management audits for 100 of our critical Tier 1 suppliers by 2025. Through the end of 2024, we have completed 32 audits of our Tier 1 suppliers and introduced a software platform to streamline the program’s implementation and analyze results. We expect to complete the remaining audits in 2025 to achieve our goal.
We also made advancements in other areas of our business to support achieving our climate-related goals:
Fugitive emissions and energy resource management at our landfills including the use and testing of surface emissions monitoring and data management systems.
Customer sustainability pilots that can assist in the understanding of scope 3 emissions and the services we provide to our customers that allow them to reduce these emissions.
Pilot/Use of zero emissions vehicles to understand latest advancements and how they may fit within our overall fleet conversion strategy.
Advanced material recovery to increase rates of recovery and types of materials that can be recovered at our MRFs and improve organics recycling.
