‘Stagnant’ blue box recycling program transitioning to privatization

Provincial legislation from April 2022, which will privatize recycling production across Ontario, aims to force producers of products to foot the bill. 

Jon Arsenault, Director of Waste Management at the Region of Waterloo, said the blue box program has become quite stagnant.

“As much as residents here and across the province are doing a great job, so many new materials and so many new products out there are hard to recycle,” said Arsenault. “We weren't getting the recovery rates we needed, so there needed to be a regulatory change.”

Production will be taken over by a non-profit group called the Circular Materials Organization, which represents major companies like McDonald's and Walmart.

Municipalities across the province will slowly begin the transition to privatization in July. 

Arsenault told CityNews 570 that the Region of Waterloo currently has 100 per cent control of the recycling program, and covers 50 per cent of the cost, with those that produce the recycled products covering the other half. 

With the non-profit organization taking over operations, the Region is promoting the transition as a cost saver.

“One of the other objectives is taking this off the taxpayer's docket and putting it back on those producers,” said Arsenault. “Hopefully driving incentives for them to do better packaging and better products moving forward.”

The Region of Waterloo will officially transition to the privatized blue box program in March 2024.