A bird with no name hovers daily over mountains of waste at a Toronto landfill — as flocks of gulls flee in every direction.
Toronto sends hundreds of thousands of tonnes of garbage to the Green Lane landfill every year, where the waste attracts hundreds of gulls that can spread to nearby communities and fall sick themselves from eating garbage.
To manage the problem, a six-year-old peregrine falcon called No-name is flown several times a day. She scatters flocks of up to 700 gulls without hunting them — her presence alone is enough to clear the sky.
“It’s a very eco-friendly way to manage the seagulls,” said falconer Keegan Rollinson, who works with No-name to deter the gulls. “The bird gets to behave as her natural self.”
Landfills use many methods to keep scavenger birds away. Common tactics include noise cannons and propane “bird bangers.” Some sites use kites, balloons, reflective tape or netting and wires over waste areas. Others rely on hazers that release irritating mist, sound systems with deterrent calls or lasers.
The city says predatory birds have been used at Green Lane for more than two decades as “a proven, eco-friendly way to manage nuisance birds, such as gulls.”
The program is based on “scare not harm” and relies on the natural dominance of falcons and hawks over gulls. When weather prevents the use of trained birds, the city turns to limited pyrotechnics, commonly known as “bird bangers,” as an alternative.
The six-year-old peregrine falcon named No-name is flown several times a day at the Green Lane landfill. She scatters flocks of up to 700 gulls without hunting — her presence alone is enough to clear the sky.
Gulls recognize peregrine falcons — the world’s fastest animal — as predators, and scatter long before she dives. “We do lure passes, which simulate a wild hunt. When she folds her wings and dives — that’s called a stoop — it scares the seagulls away,” Rollinson said, holding the falcon on his gloved hand as she beats her wings against the breeze.
The bird wears a GPS tracker, so handlers always know her location. Most of the time, she circles back willingly, driven by food, training and routine. “They’re very food-driven,” Rollinson said with a laugh. “You build trust through a routine, and they always return.”
Studies suggest open landfill sites act like “all-you-can-eat buffets” for birds that drop lightweight plastics into waterways and expose other wildlife to debris. Scavenger birds also spread disease, contaminate water and pose risks to airplanes flying nearby.
Research shows gulls are especially vulnerable to plastics. In one study, 41 gulls were found with 284 pieces of debris in their stomachs — mostly plastic, but also glass, cardboard and wrappers. While gulls can regurgitate some items, plastics expose them to toxic chemicals linked to poor egg quality, lower chick survival and long-term health risks.
Shayan Sharif, a professor at the University of Guelph’s department of pathobiology, says gulls and pigeons can pick up disease-causing microbes at dump sites and spread them to water, soil, plants, animal feed and even human food.
“Any place that attracts birds from different species can increase the risk of transmission of this virus.”
These scavenger birds can carry bacteria that cause food poisoning, viruses like avian influenza and even parasites, he added.
Bigger waste problems ahead
While the falcon program helps manage daily risks, Toronto faces much larger decisions about what to do with its garbage.
Last year, the city generated more than 850,000 tonnes of waste. About 350,000 tonnes were diverted through recycling and organics, but the rest went to Green Lane. Located in Southwold Township, about 200 km west of Toronto, the site could be full within a decade.
Sara Little, Green Lane landfill’s manager, says compacting waste buys time, but not much.
“This place is filling up. It is a landfill and waste keeps coming in,” she said. “We only have a finite amount of volume that we’re allowed to fill.”
Toronto also asked 378 municipalities within 500 kilometres if they would accept some of its garbage or partner on new landfill space — but none agreed.
Instead, the city is considering several options: expanding Green Lane, sending waste to other municipalities or burning it in an “energy-from-waste” incinerator. A city survey released last week showed 79 per cent of respondents supported incineration and reducing reliance on landfilling.
Environmental advocates are challenging the survey. Emily Alfred, senior waste campaigner with the Toronto Environmental Alliance, said the city misled residents by portraying incineration as a climate-friendly choice. “If you ask the public whether they want to turn their garbage into magical fairy dust with little to no climate or environmental impact, I’m not surprised they would say yes,” she said in a statement. “The unfortunate truth is that garbage is harmful no matter where it ends up. The city needs to walk clear-eyed into any decision about how to handle residual waste, and not get suckered into believing biased, outdated, and frankly false claims that burning our garbage is somehow good for the climate.”
According to the city report, staff will continue studying whether to purchase space in a private landfill, build a new incinerator or partner with existing facilities. The work will include assessing environmental and public health impacts, with recommendations expected in 2027.
A life in service
The falcon working at Green Lane once lived in a breeding program — what Rollinson calls “retirement” — before being pulled back into duty when more birds were needed. “One bird is enough most days,” he said. “But if it gets busier, we’ll bring in a second. They tag-team and keep the gulls from swarming the garbage.”
Each bird undergoes months of training to trust its handler, respond to whistles and build up flight fitness like an athlete. “Flying with intent is what you want,” Rollinson said. “When a gull sees a peregrine flying like it means business, they stay away much longer.”
Each morning begins with a weigh-in: about 730 grams is her flying weight. If she’s too heavy, she could soar off on her own for days, not caring about the food offered as a reward for returning. “There’s a fine balance,” Rollinson said. “You need them hungry enough to want to come back, but strong enough to fly with purpose.”
Peregrine falcons can live 20 to 25 years. This bird may serve several more seasons before returning to the breeding program. Rollinson says not every falcon is as steady — some are more social, while others are skittish.
No-name appears calm at a distance, but when strangers get too close, she tilts her head, flaps her wings and gives a sharp warning call — signalling that she’s ready to strike if threatened.
For now, the falcon helps manage daily risks at Green Lane, but Toronto’s real challenge is cutting the amount of garbage produced. Alfred says the city could extend the landfill’s life with stronger rules on single-use disposables.
Experts add investing in better recycling and waste-reduction programs and pushing producers to design products for a circular economy, would do far more to keep waste out of landfills in the first place.
