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Renovation and construction debris disposal in Lethbridge

Drywall, concrete, soil and shingles in Lethbridge: landfill rates by material, Alberta OHS asbestos rules for older homes, bin rental versus junk removal.

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What the landfill charges by material

The City of Lethbridge prices renovation debris to reward sorting. Mixed construction and demolition waste is $115 per tonne with a $5 minimum. Sorted, the same material drops sharply: clean new-construction drywall without paint is $65 per tonne, pallets and dimensional lumber are $65, clean asphalt shingles and tar paper are $75, and porcelain sinks and toilets with the faucets off, brick and block, asphalt pavement and scrap metal are $10. Recyclable concrete under 2.5 by 2.5 feet is $25 per tonne; larger pieces or heavy rebar are $75. Stone and countertops are $25. Loads under 50 kg in these categories are free.

Two things push a renovation load into the expensive column. Painted or demolition drywall is not "clean new-construction drywall" and goes as mixed waste. And a garbage load with more than a quarter recyclable content, meaning wood, drywall, concrete, metal or cardboard, draws a $50 per tonne designated-material surcharge on top. A crew that sorts at the house pays $65 instead of $165 on the wood and drywall.

Asbestos in Lethbridge homes built before the 1990s

Alberta's Asbestos Abatement Manual, the provincial OHS guide, says a building survey for asbestos is an important step before renovation or demolition of any building built before 1980, and that asbestos has been found in buildings built after 1980 into the early 1990s. That covers most of the north side and the older south-side grid. The materials to suspect are drywall joint compound and stipple ceilings, vinyl floor tiles and sheet flooring with asbestos backing, asbestos-cement siding and pipe, pipe and boiler insulation, and vermiculite attic or block-wall insulation, particularly the Zonolite brand.

The manual is written for employers, and the OHS definition of an owner excludes someone occupying a private residence unless a business runs there. In practice that means a contractor working in your house is bound by it: renovation involving asbestos joint compound or removal of up to 100 square feet of asbestos-backed flooring is classed as low-risk work, but it still requires a project notification to Alberta Labour and Immigration at least 72 hours before any work that could release fibres. Have suspect material sampled by a competent person before demolition starts; sampling itself needs no notification.

How asbestos waste has to be disposed of

Asbestos waste cannot go in a bin or a junk truck. The provincial manual requires it to be double-bagged in 6 mil polyethylene or sealed in another impervious container, goose-necked and taped at the neck, and labelled to say the contents are asbestos, carcinogenic and not to be inhaled. It may only be landfilled at an approved site, and the landfill must be told in writing that the load contains asbestos.

At the Lethbridge Waste and Recycling Centre, asbestos is special waste at $135 per tonne with a $5 minimum. Every special-waste load must be scheduled at least 24 hours ahead, registered with the landfill operator at 403-359-7188, and accompanied by a City manifest. The crew we connect you with does not carry asbestos-containing material; a licensed abatement contractor removes it first, and the crew takes the rest of the demolition afterwards.

Bin rental or junk removal

A bin makes sense when the debris comes out over weeks, when you have a driveway to park it on, and when the material is heavy and uniform. It costs delivery, pickup, the rental period and the tonnage, and on a residential street it collects the neighbours' junk. Get the bin company's current rates in writing, including what happens above the weight allowance.

A junk removal crew makes sense for a single-trip job: a bathroom, a kitchen, a basement tear-out finished in a weekend. There is no rental clock, the crew loads from inside the house and sorts wood and drywall from garbage on the driveway, and the landfill fees above are in the quote.

Concrete, soil and clean fill

Concrete is cheap to dispose of if it is broken small: $25 per tonne for pieces up to 2.5 by 2.5 feet, $75 if bigger or full of rebar. Break a patio slab before loading it and it costs a third as much. Brick, block, asphalt and clean sand are $10 per tonne.

Soil is where people get surprised. The City's rate for clean topsoil and sod, with no gravel, subsoil or waste in it, is $5 per tonne. Waste soil, which includes subsoil and chemically impacted soil that meets the landfill's analytical requirements, is $50 per tonne. Sod and dirt are refused at the three in-town yard waste depots and by the Large Item Service, so a landscaping tear-out goes to the Waste and Recycling Centre or onto a truck. Keep topsoil separate from gravel, or the whole load is priced as waste soil.

A sorting plan that saves money

Stack in four piles as you demolish: clean lumber; new unpainted drywall; metal, porcelain and concrete; everything else. Take paint, solvents and propane to the landfill's free hazardous waste station. Tarp anything you haul yourself. If the house predates the 1990s, get the joint compound and flooring sampled before the first hammer swing.

Need it hauled or installed?

Call (587) 813-0710 or request a call back. This website connects Lethbridge residents with a local, licensed and insured junk removal company. Calls and form submissions go directly to that company, which quotes and completes the work.

Related services

Renovation and Construction Debris

Drywall, lumber, flooring and fixtures from a reno, cleared in one trip.

Yard Waste and Outdoor Junk

Branches, sod, fencing, decks and whatever the wind brought down.

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