MORRISBURG – Industrial commercial properties, not-for-profit organizations, municipal buildings and facilities, day cares, places of worship, campgrounds, trailer parks and commercial farms will become fully responsible for arranging and paying for their own blue box recycling effective January 1, 2025.
South Dundas council authorized the discontinuation of curbside collection to these properties at their September 25 council meeting.
The change is the result of the standardization of the Blue Box program across the province to a producer responsibility model. Under this model, the municipality will no longer be responsible for the blue box program.
The change will mean that many properties currently enjoying curbside blue box material collection will see that service disappear in the new year.
Those affected by the change will directly receive notification from municipal administration.
“It is expected that where private collection is not arranged for existing ineligible participants, most of the Blue Box materials will be disposed of in the garbage stream,” said Jeff Hyndman, South Dundas manager of transportation services, in his September 25 report to council.
“That’s a real problem for sure,” said South Dundas mayor Jason Broad.
“This will have an adverse impact on recycling,” said South Dundas councillor Cole Veinotte. However, he said that taxpayers should not be paying for ICI properties to have recycling collected curbside.
Council unanimously agreed to the discontinuation of service for ICI properties.
Residential properties will continue to have recyclables collected curbside through the new Blue Box recycling program.
While agreeing to the discontinuation of service, municipalities, including South Dundas, and industry groups are lobbying for more practical solutions to make the changes less detrimental to waste diversion.