- As an urban resident, as of January 1, 2026 there is no change in that you will continue to receive curbside blue box collection with no change to your current service, except that you will no longer be required to separate your recyclables (i.e. plastic, aluminum, glass, etc.).
- In addition, there are some NEW items that are included on the list of recyclables that have not been part of our recycling program before. These items will be recyclable as part of the residential curbside service, as well as at the landfill depots (IC&I). The full list of accepted recyclable items is included at the end of this document.
Blue Box Recycling – Changes Effective January 1, 2026
As of January 1, 2026, the Blue Box Program in Ontario will transition from being operated by municipalities to a producer operated program. The organization that has been created by the producers to operate the Blue Box Program is called Circular Materials.
Under the original Blue Box Program, properties that were primarily industrial, commercial, institutional (IC&I) were not included. Municipalities had the option to include these properties in their collection program, which most did, including South Bruce.
When the collection program transitions to Circular Materials on January 1, 2026 the IC&I properties will no longer be included in the blue box collection program, so these properties are being referred to as “Non-Eligible Sources”. These properties will no longer have access to any recycling services including curbside collection, cardboard depots and landfill recycling depots through this new program.
In order to maintain our current landfill diversion rates and encourage recycling, Council passed the following motion:
That Council directs Staff to proceed with Option 2 of report number PW-03-10-2025, being the operationally funded model, to provide depot service for the collection of recycling at the Teeswater and Mildmay landfill sites for the "Non-Eligible Sources" under the Blue Box Program and that this depot service be funded within the 2026 Operational Budget.
How does this affect you?
- As a rural resident, as of January 1, 2026 there is no change in that you will continue to take your recyclables to the landfill sites (depots). The only change is that when you take your blue box materials to the landfill, you will need to place them in the bins identified as “Eligible” Sources.
- You will also no longer be required to separate your recyclables (i.e. plastic, aluminum, glass, etc.) and there are some NEW items that are included on the list of recyclables that have not been part of our recycling program before. The full list of accepted recyclable items is included at the end of this document.
- As a rural business, as of January 1, 2026 there is no change in that you will continue to take your recyclables to the landfill sites (depots). The only change is that when you take your blue box materials to the landfill, you will need to place them in the bin identified as “Non-Eligible” Sources.
- You will also no longer be required to separate your recyclables (i.e. plastic, aluminum, glass, etc.) and there are some NEW items that are included on the list of recyclables that have not been part of our recycling program before. The full list of accepted recyclable items is included at the end of this document.
Urban Business with Residential Component
- As an urban business with a residential component, as of January 1, 2026 your IC&I unit will no longer have curbside collection service for your blue box material. You will be required to take your recyclables to the landfill sites (depots) and place them in the bin identified as “Non-Eligible” Sources.
- Your residential units will continue to receive curbside blue box collection and they will see no change to their current service except that they will no longer be required to separate their recyclables (i.e. plastic, aluminum, glass, etc.).
- In addition, there are some NEW items that are included on the list of recyclables that have not been part of our recycling program before. These items will be recyclable as part of the residential curbside service, as well as at the landfill depots (IC&I). The full list of accepted recyclable items is included at the end of this document.
Urban Business without Residential Component
- As an urban business without a residential component, as of January 1, 2026 you will no longer have curbside collection service for your blue box material. You will be required to take your recyclables to the landfill sites (depots) and place them in the bin identified as “Non-Eligible” Sources.
- You will also no longer be required to separate your recyclables (i.e. plastic, aluminum, glass, etc.) and there are some NEW items that are included on the list of recyclables that have not been part of our recycling program before. The full list of accepted recyclable items is included at the end of this document.
- Community Cardboard bins will be removed from the various locations in Formosa, Mildmay and Teeswater, as well as at the landfill depots, as corrugated cardboard will be included in the new Blue Box Program (curbside & Eligible/Non-Eligible depot bins)
- Film Plastics bins will be removed from the landfill depots, as this material will be included in the new Blue Box Program (curbside & Eligible/Non-Eligible depot bins)
Why are we transitioning?
The Government of Ontario introduced legislation that transforms the management and collection of Blue Box materials in the province. The Blue Box Regulation, enacted under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, is a cornerstone of Ontario’s Strategy for a Waste Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy.
This regulation shifts the current cost-sharing model, which divides expenses between municipal taxpayers and producers of Blue Box materials, to a new system where producers are fully responsible for funding, operating, and meeting performance targets for the recycling program. Producers will be accountable for collecting and recycling Blue Box materials, reporting to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA), and achieving progressively higher recycling targets.
By placing the full financial, operational, and performance responsibility on producers, this new approach creates a direct incentive to minimize waste and enhance recycling efforts, leading to reduced natural resource extraction, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.