Region of Waterloo working on final details as blue box program goes private in 2026
Posted Aug 16, 2023 03:10:13 PM.
The iconic Blue Box Program will no longer provided by the Region of Waterloo.
The Region will opt out of the program in March 2024 and producers will have until the end of 2025 to find alternative collectors. Circular Materials, a producer-controlled, non-profit will be responsible for implementing the new program across the province.
Jon Arsenault, the director of waste management for the Region of Waterloo, said the Region is working on working on transferring the contracts to be directly between Circular Materials and existing collection contractors. He said preliminary estimates of savings for taxpayers will be between $2 and $4 million.
“We’re very confident we’re going to work with the collection contractors and Circular Materials to communicate out as much as we can on any changes that may occur,” said Arsenault. “It should be exactly the same as people see it today.”
Provincial legislation moved financial responsibility for the program from municipalities to producers in 2021. The law only covers residential pickups and does not cover commercial, industrial and institutional sites.
A report from Regional Council said between 1500 and 2000 sites in the Region will no longer be a part of the program starting in 2026. These include small businesses and places of worship, primarily located in the downtown core. Council has recommended that these sites be included in the Blue Bin Program during the transition period.
The very first Blue Box Program in Canada began in Kitchener in 1983.
