Education and Events

School/class presentations, onsite bus tours and online resources

We’ve got options to engage students!

Online presentations

Audience:

• September to June: Kindergarten to secondary/post-secondary grades are welcome to book online presentations.

Book your Curbside Chat with a Region of Waterloo waste representative. Topics vary including drag and drop sorting, green bin to compost, and landfill construction. Presentations take place online through Microsoft Teams and are approximately one hour in length which includes a question and answer period.

Onsite tours

Audience: 

• September to May: Grades 3 to secondary/post-secondary are welcome to book tours onsite.
• June: Kindergarten to Grade 2 are welcome to book tours onsite.

Cost: Free 

Transportation: Schools arrange for a school bus rental and cover the cost of that themselves.

Onsite Bus Tour with Education Centre Stop

Explore waste management in action with our onsite bus tour at the Waterloo landfill! This one-hour experience begins with fun, grade-appropriate activities in our Education Centre, followed by a guided bus tour of the landfill site.

Students will get a firsthand look at key areas of the property, including:

• The active tipping face

• New landfill cell construction

• Green bin and yard waste drop-off zones

Duration: Approximately 1 hour

Email us to book your online presentation or onsite bus tour.

Activity sheets:

• The Rs Reverse Pyramid: Discover what we should do more of when it comes to diverting waste away from the landfill.
• Green Bin Lifecycle: Travel with your food organics from leaving the farm to becoming compost.
• Fill in the blanks* – A landfill is more than just a hole in the ground. Discover the different parts of an engineered landfill cell. 

*For a clickable PowerPoint file format or if you have questions regarding our online resources, send us an email request.

Community presentations and workshops

Whether online or in person presentations/workshops focus on the Region of Waterloo's residential curbside waste programs and services including: why sorting is so important, tips for sorting correctly and how the landfill works.

Duration: Approximately one hour including a question and answer period.

Timing: Presentations/workshops are preferably delivered during the day, Monday to Friday. Requests for evening or weekend hours will be reviewed and may be possible pending staffing availability and approval.

Number of participants: A minimum of 15 people in attendance.

Cost:  No cost.

Email us to book your waste management engagement opportunity!

Waste Discovery Day: Beyond the Curb

Join us for Waste Discovery Day, a free, family-friendly event held twice a year in Spring and Fall, aligning with The Provincial Day of Action on Litter and Waste Reduction Week in Canada. This year, we’re taking you beyond the curb to explore the many programs and services that help manage waste in our community!

What to Expect

Explore Our Waste Operations – Take a guided bus tour of the Waterloo landfill and see waste management in action - registration required.
Get Up Close with Heavy Equipment – Check out the machinery that keeps our waste system running.
Interactive Activities – Test your waste-sorting skills with fun kids' games, activities, and prizes.
Face Painting & More! – Enjoy fun activities for the whole family.
Meet the Experts – Chat with waste management staff and other Region of Waterloo teams to learn more about their services.

Event Details

Date: May 10, 2025

Time: Drop in anytime between 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Location: 925 Erb St. W. Waterloo, Gate #1
Cost: Free!

Bus Tours

Tour Times: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (departing every 30 minutes)
Duration: ~40 minutes
What You'll See: The landfill tipping face in action, green bin processing, yard waste drop-off, and more!

Registration: Go to our event registration page to reserve your spot on a bus tour.

Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to go beyond the curb and discover how waste is managed in our community!