Calgary · Landfill tipping fees

Calgary Landfill Tipping Fees — Current Rates and How to Skip Them

Calgary's four municipal landfills — Shepard, East Calgary, Spyhill, and West Calgary — handle most of the fill, soil, and construction debris generated across the city. The rate sheet has more nuance than people realize: pure clean fill is dirt-cheap, but the moment a load includes sod, mixed material, or anything contaminated, the per-tonne cost can climb 11x or more. This page lays out current rates and the cleanest path around them.

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The four Calgary landfills

Shepard Landfill (Shepard Rd SE / 108 St SE) — largest facility, accepts most material types.
East Calgary Landfill (75 St SE / 17 Ave SE) — closer for SE crews.
Spyhill Landfill (NW Calgary) — convenient for NW and Cochrane-corridor jobs.
West Calgary Landfill — accepts a narrower material mix; verify before driving out.

Current Calgary landfill rates (verified 2026-04-29)

Material category	Rate	Notes
Clean fill (soil, clay, gravel)	$0–$10/tonne	Must meet City clean-fill spec. Commercial vehicles need a clean-fill approval number; soil analysis may be required.
Loads under 250 kg (550 lb)	$25 flat	Residential small-load rate.
Basic sanitary waste	$113/tonne	Applies to mixed loads and to sod (sod is not treated as clean fill or compost).
Commercial disposal surcharge	$180/tonne	Triggered when recyclable or compostable material is mixed into a commercial load.

Sources: City of Calgary — Landfill Commercial materials and rates / Landfill and Eco Centre residential materials and rates. Verify before relying on these figures — rates can change annually.

How tipping fees are calculated in Calgary

Material is weighed at the scale house in and out, and you're billed by the tonne against the categories above. The scale-house determines the category — meaning a load you intended as clean fill can get re-categorized to basic sanitary if it includes sod or visible debris. Add to the per-tonne rate the cost of trucking time, fuel, and the half-day of revenue eaten by scale-house lines during peak hours.

How Dirtlink changes the math

List the fill on Dirtlink. A Calgary homeowner, contractor, or grading project takes it directly. You skip the scale house entirely. The savings depend on what you've got:

Pure clean fill: tipping itself is cheap, but you save trucking hours, scale-house wait, and the City's commercial clean-fill approval process.
Loads with sod or mixed material: this is where the math shifts hard. The same load billed as basic sanitary at $113/tonne goes to a Dirtlink taker for free or for hauling cost only.
Small loads (under 250 kg): avoid the $25 flat-rate residential charge.

Open the savings calculator →

When the landfill is still the right answer

Contaminated material (e.g., petroleum-impacted soil) — must go to a permitted disposal facility
Asbestos-containing material — specialized disposal required
Material with mixed construction debris that no taker will accept
Time-pressed loads with no listing window

For clean fill and surplus topsoil — almost never the right answer over Dirtlink.

Browse Calgary recyclers and disposal sites in the directory →

Frequently asked questions

What's the current tipping fee at Shepard Landfill?

Clean fill is $0–$10/tonne. Mixed loads and sod are charged at the basic sanitary rate ($113/tonne). Commercial loads with recyclables in the mix can hit $180/tonne with the commercial surcharge. Loads under 250 kg pay a $25 flat rate. Verify the latest figures with the City of Calgary before relying on them — they can change annually.

Can I dump dirt for free anywhere in Calgary?

Free public dumping isn't available — but you can list dirt on Dirtlink and match with a taker who pays nothing or covers hauling only.

Do all four Calgary landfills accept clean fill?

Most do. Verify category and current rates with the City before driving.

How much could I save by routing fill through Dirtlink instead?

Depends on what you've got. For a tandem load of mixed material or sod billed at the $113/tonne basic sanitary rate, savings can run into four figures per load. For pristine clean fill (which only costs $0–$10/tonne to dump in the first place), the savings come from cutting trucking time, avoiding the City's commercial approval process, and skipping the scale-house entirely. Use the calculator to model your specific load.

What about asphalt and concrete?

Concrete and asphalt should go to a recycler (not a landfill). See the Recycled Concrete page for buyers of crushed material.

Skip the scale-house entirely

List on Dirtlink, match with a Calgary taker, route the fill directly. Free.

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