Changes coming to recycling collection in 2026

April 10, 2025 · 0 Comments

Changes are coming on how Blue Boxes are collected.

As of January 1, 2026, the Town’s responsibility for picking up Blue Boxes and recycling will shift to the non-profit Circular Materials.

The move is part of the Province-wide shift to a collection system that is funded by producers of waste rather than the shared cost model currently in place.

“Starting January 1, 2026, The Town of Aurora will no longer collect blue boxes as part of the Province’s new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model,” says the Town in a statement. “Under this model, all Ontario municipalities will move to a producer-led Blue Box program as part of the Government of Ontario’s new regulation under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act.

“This shift makes producers fully responsible for the cost, operation and performance of Blue Box recycling. Beginning in 2026, Circular Materials (CM), a non-profit organization, will oversee Ontario’s common collection system. CM will manage Blue Box material collection from homes, residential buildings, and residential areas of mixed-use properties.”

The Town notes that there will be no further changes to collection schedules or the materials that can be recycled through December 31 and the Town will continue to collect garbage, green bins, and yard waste, along with Christmas trees, large appliances and bulky items.

While the materials that can be recycled in the new system are unconfirmed at press time, the Town says they don’t anticipate any significant changes.

“The Government of Ontario introduced legislation that transforms the management and collection of Blue Box materials in the province,” says the Town. “The Blue Box Regulation, enacted under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, is a cornerstone of Ontario’s Strategy for a Waste Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy. This regulation shifts the current cost-sharing model, which divides expenses between municipal taxpayers and producers of Blue Box materials, to a new system where producers are fully responsible for funding, operating, and meeting performance targets for the recycling program. Producers will be accountable for collecting and recycling Blue Box materials, reporting to the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA), and achieving progressively higher recycling targets.

“By placing the full financial, operational, and performance responsibility on producers, this new approach creates a direct incentive to minimize waste and enhance recycling efforts, leading to reduced natural resource extraction, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.”

By Brock Weir