By Tessa Swanton (Townson),
Bruce Peninsula Press
According to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA), between 2001 and 2020 Ontarians recycled over 16.5 million tonnes of materials through the Blue Box Program. But over the past few years, the recycling rate has plateaued prompting an Ontario wide recycling transformation known as the “producer responsibility framework.” From July 2023 to December 2025 the Blue Box Program transitioned to where producers of packing and paper are fully responsible for operating the Blue Box Program. Now in effect in January 2026, the Blue Box Program has standardized what is collected across the entire Province while expanding recycling to more communities, making it easier for Ontarians to recycle with fewer items thrown into the garbage. The shift in responsibility from municipalities to producers places the financial and operational duty of recycling solely on the producer, saving municipalities money.
In an interview, Public Works Manager, Troy Cameron, stated that “Going forward the Municipality won’t have to pay for [blue box] recycling costs, which is definitely a plus for the Municipality; the only cost now for recycling is for non-eligible sources.”
January 2026 marked the official transition in the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula (MNBP) to producer responsibility for blue box recycling. Cameron said, “The program is going to stay fairly similar, for the first bit anyways.” Currently, Waste Management (WM) is the subcontractor that was awarded the residential recycling contract in the area from Circular Materials, a non-profit producer responsibility organization which is essentially replacing municipal management.
Going forward, residential recycling collection remains the same, collected curbside on Mondays by WM. However, Cameron advised that WM is transitioning to a cart system collection truck (standardized carts designed to be picked up by a truck’s mechanical arms) once they obtain the new trucks in mid-late 2026. More information should be presented this year by WM in the form of open houses and public education.
The Municipality still manages residential curbside garbage collection in partnership with WM. A future report from the Public Works Manager will outline options for Council’s consideration regarding implementing the cart system collection for both waste and recycling.
The new Blue Box Program specifies non-eligible sources for recycling collection, like industrial or commercial properties, non-profits, municipal buildings/facilities, daycares, places of worship, campgrounds/trailer parks, and commercial farms. Eligible sources are residential homes or units, schools, long-term care homes, and public spaces. The Municipality’s current by-law restricts recycling collection from industrial/commercial/institutional (ICI) properties, so no big change will be noticed. Cameron clarified that this “might not seem true because sometimes at commercial businesses there is recycling being collected, and it’s because there is a residence above so it’s hard to determine what recycling is residential or commercial.”
On December 8, 2025, MNBP approved two bins placed at each landfill site, one for residential and another for ICI recycling. The residential recycling bins at the landfills will be funded by Circular Materials. The ICI bins are financed by the Municipality and monitored by the landfill attendant. An agreement between Circular Materials and the MNBP indicates compensation to the MNBP of $4,020 per month for using space at municipal landfills for their residential recycling bins. A January 12th staff report (No. PW 26-02) from Cameron states that the compensation “should be enough to cover the cost of providing the recycling bins for the ICI/ non-eligible sources and this material will then be recycled and not become items entering the waste stream.” The agreement will be formally considered at the January 12th Council Meeting, after this newspaper has gone to press. In support of the ICI recycling bins, Cameron said, “It’s better to provide the service and in the long run, it saves our landfill space.” Cameron’s report further states that “By entering into this new agreement with Circular Materials the Municipality will still be able to keep recycling bins available at our three landfill/depots for residents who currently do not receive curbside collection.” Many islands and private roads with the Municipality do not receive curbside collection.
Cameron encouraged all MNBP residents to visit www.circularmaterials.ca/resident-communities/northern-bruce-peninsula/ for a complete list of what you can recycle including specific recycling instructions and a deep dive into Ontario’s new recycling system. The program promotes consistency where all residents can recycle the same items regardless of where you live or travel in Ontario.
As of January 1, 2026, some expanded accepted items include:
• Glass – food containers, jars and bottles, cosmetic containers, spice bottles, oil and vinegar bottles, non-alcoholic beverage containers (empty and free from food residue, lids off).
• Metal – food cans, metal lids, cookie, coffee and tea tins, beverage cans (empty and free from food residue); aluminum foil and trays like aluminum foil, pie plates, and frozen food trays (empty and free from food residue, ball up aluminum foil); aerosol containers like food spray, hair spray, air fresheners, shaving cream, deodorant (empty and lids on).
• Paper and fibre (flatten and empty, free of residue) – cardboard boxes like pizza, mail, moving, and shoe boxes; cereal boxes, egg cartons, toilet paper and paper towel rolls; laminate pet food bags, food service bags and plates, paper laminate containers like spiral cans, cookie dough package, ice cream containers, and hot/cold beverage cups (remove lids); cartons like beverage, juice and milk, coffee creamers, sugar, soup and sauce; any colour of paper including flour bags, prescription bags, paper produce bags, notepads, gift boxes (empty, no rope handles).
• Plastic and foam (empty and free from residue, keep lids on, no alcoholic beverage containers) – laundry detergent and household cleaner jugs, shampoo, body wash, salad dressing, condiment, dish soap, mouthwash bottles; food trays, yogurt, peanut butter, bakery and egg containers, black plastic containers; toothpaste tubes, deodorant, and hand cream tubes; hand sanitizer bottles, medication bottles, blister packs, plant pots; flexible plastic packaging like dry cleaning bags, bread bags, overwrap, coffee bags and deli pouches, chip bags, bubble wrap, snack wrappers, cereal liner bags, plastic gift bags; foam packing from meat trays, takeout, foam cups, plates, bowls, and packaging (remove film wrap and absorbent pads from meat trays).
