By next year, Ontarians will notice some changes in the blue box program responsible for collecting their recycling, and some have already seen the shift.
As of Jan. 1, 2026, blue box collection and program operations will transfer over to the producers of recycling products and packaging.
It’s part of legislation passed by the Ontario government in 2016 that the province says is aimed at “transitioning costs of the blue box program away from municipal taxpayers.”
The transfers will be effective for the entire province as of Jan. 1, but some municipalities including Guelph, Hamilton and parts of Toronto began making the shift as far back as 2023.
Hamilton switched over in April of this year, handing responsibility to Circular Materials, while Guelph transitioned in January to Waste Management of Canada Corporation, which is contracted by Circular.
Parts of Toronto also made the switch in 2023 to Circular Materials, though the city has continued to provide and manage collection, a service that will end come Jan. 1.
What this means for Ontarians
Under the new collection system, those handling the recycling program will be able to make changes on what is and is not accepted for collection and how materials are collected.
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These companies, known as producer responsibility organizations (PRO), will also be required to inform residents of what changes are made.
Circular Materials, Ryse Solutions, Landbell Canada and EnvironFocus Incorporated are the PROs that will operate the new collection system, with Circular responsible for implementing and managing the new PRO recycling system for the entire province.
In addition to changes on the collection, residents will no longer be able to request a new blue box from the municipality they reside in.
Once the changes come into place, people will need to either purchase a blue box from a retail store, such as a major hardware business, or request one from a local blue box distribution centre.
For example, in cities like Guelph, people can contact Waste Management of Canada Corporation, while residents of Hamilton can reach out to GFL Environmental Inc.
As the entire province prepares for a transition of its recycling program, some regions are also making preparations or have already implemented changes to their waste collection services.
Peel Region, for example, says it has revised its plans to transfer waste collection services to the cities of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon as of Oct. 1, 2027 – a year later than the original plan.
“Peel Region will continue to collaborate with our municipal partners to ensure a seamless transfer of waste collection at the right time, without service disruption to the community,” said Nando Iannicca, Peel Regional chair and CEO, in a statement.
Halton Region and Waterloo Region say they’re also making changes, expanding their cart-based collection that Waterloo says can help reduce injuries for workers and make the process more efficient.
Halton began the change in 2023, with about 1,850 homes across eight hours participating in a demonstration program.
This year, the program is being expanded to 18,000 additional homes to receive carts, with no changes to their biweekly collection schedule, with remaining households will receive theirs in 2027.
Waterloo says it also will change to cart-based service for garbage and organics starting March 2026, with residents having had until Sept. 5 to order a small black cart for garbage collection.
Green carts will be delivered for organics collection before March, with residents able to trade up or down a size for black garbage carts after using theirs for six months, according to the region.
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