Montreal’s auditor general released a report on Tuesday indicating that the majority of waste generated by city residents continues to be sent to landfills, leaving the municipality well short of its goal to reduce landfill contributions to 15%.
The audit, dated 25 August 2026, highlights that the city’s recycling and composting objectives have not been met, with most discarded material still ending up in landfill sites. The shortfall places Montreal behind the timeline it set for achieving the 15% landfill limit, a target that was meant to be reached in less than four years.
City officials had previously announced a plan to curb landfill waste to a maximum of 15% of total residential waste within the coming years. The auditor’s findings show that, despite the policy, the proportion of waste diverted to recycling and composting remains insufficient to meet that benchmark.
The report underscores the gap between the city’s environmental commitments and current waste management outcomes. It calls attention to the need for continued monitoring of waste streams and the effectiveness of recycling and compost initiatives as Montreal works toward its stated landfill reduction goal.
Residents of Montreal are now faced with the reality that the city’s waste diversion efforts have not yet produced the expected decrease in landfill use. The auditor general’s analysis serves as an official accounting of the city’s progress, or lack thereof, toward the 15% landfill target set for the near future.