Policy changes at the Glenmore Landfill will extend the life of the facility by 25 years, from 2065 to 2090.
That's according to Utility Services Manager Kevin Van Vliet, who presented them to council at Monday's meeting.
"On the north side, (we'll) change the slopes from 5:1 to a 3:1 slope. That makes the sides of the hills a little steeper, and allows you to put more waste on the footprint," he said.
"Overall, this plan includes increasing the overall height by about 20 metres (from 70 m to 90 m), and blending the slopes into Bredin Hill, which is at the north end, as well as the Tutt Mountain, which is basically the main hill lying between the landfill and the Quail Ridge development."
He says this work and related projects are expected to cost over $50 million over the next eight years - but that's only a tenth of what it would cost to ship garbage out of town.
"If we have to pay an additional $32/tonne to ship waste out of the region, over the 25 years ('65-'90), that's about a $500 million value to our local economy," he said.
"So that is money that every business, every homeowner would have to pay in addition to what they pay otherwise, for the privilege of disposing our waste somewhere else."
Van Vliet says that 3 to 1 slope ratio is standard in many other landfills, including ones in Victoria and Vancouver.
He was even asked about the option of burning the trash.
"Incineration is very, very capital intensive, and quite a bit more expensive than landfilling. Which is why across North America, where space is a little bit more available, unless you're really crunched for space, landfilling tends to be the disposal of choice," he said.
Before a unanimous vote to approve, a main concern from council was how it would effect the nearby Quail Ridge development.
Staff say that while it'll be a little bit noisier over the coming decades, most people in the neighbourhood were in favour of expanding.
As it stands right now, the landfill takes in about 155,000 tonnes of garbage per year, a number that's expected to quadruple over its operating life.