Hamilton to negotiate extending GFL's garbage and green bin collection contract to as late as March 2031

The decision

At its September 9, 2026, meeting, Hamilton City Council approved a Public Works Committee recommendation directing City staff to enter negotiations with GFL Environmental Inc. to extend Contract C11-55-19, Waste Collection Services, for a term not to exceed March 30, 2031. The item was voted on separately and carried 13 to 2, according to the Council minutes.

The negotiations are to take place under the City's Procurement Policy #11 for non-competitive procurement. Council also authorized the General Manager of Public Works to sign the resulting agreement and directed staff to report back to a future Public Works Committee meeting with the outcome, including financial and operational impacts.

Why staff recommended it

Staff said the province's transfer of the Blue Box program to producers is still being monitored, and that tendering a new long-term contract before its effects are understood could mean decisions based on incomplete information. A longer timeline would also let staff evaluate service options from the 2026–2050 Solid Waste Management Master Plan so the next term of Council can set service levels before the next procurement.

The report argued an extension may keep the current contract's pricing, subject to negotiation, and avoid risk premiums bidders might add during regulatory uncertainty. It noted a new contractor would need at least a year to buy equipment, and that new collection vehicles would cost much more than letting the current contractor keep using its fleet.

The alternative

Council could have kept the April 1, 2029, expiry and started procuring a new contract on the existing timeline, which staff estimated would begin in the second quarter of 2027. Staff said that would leave less flexibility and could bring higher operating costs sooner.