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Thrift Stores Burdened by Illegal Dumping as Landfill Fees Soar
13 Nov
Summary
- Thrift stores forced to pay to dispose of unusable donations
- Increase in after-hours dumping linked to new landfill fees
- Manufacturers need to take more responsibility for product design
As of November 13, 2025, thrift stores in Sudbury are grappling with a growing problem of illegal dumping, forcing them to pay to dispose of unusable donations at the local landfill.
Richard Barlow, who manages the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, says around 90% of the items left outside the store after hours have to be thrown away, costing the charity money. Other thrift shops in the area, like Re'Tail Sudbury and St. Vincent Place, are facing similar challenges.
The issue appears to have worsened since the City of Greater Sudbury implemented a $5 gate fee at the municipal landfill in July 2024. Kari Fabiilli, the coordinator at Re'Tail Sudbury, says they started noticing a spike in unsellable donations around that time.
Alastair MacCallum, a board member with Zero Waste Canada, believes the problem is partly due to people not taking advantage of other waste disposal options, like the city's green bin composting program. He argues that manufacturers also need to take more responsibility by designing longer-lasting, more reusable products.
As the thrift stores continue to shoulder the burden of disposing of these unwanted items, experts say more needs to be done to address the root causes of illegal dumping and reduce waste overall.
