‘Residents have shared positive feedback regarding the ease and convenience of all materials going into one bin with no sorting required, and of only having one bin to take to the curb – a single cart with wheels that is easy to roll down the driveway’
A new recycling system is coming to North Bay this summer.
Back in March, the City of North Bay announced a major change to the way recycling is done.
Starting June 1, blue boxes will be replaced with wheeled recycling carts, and all recycling will go into one cart – no sorting required.
The new system will be managed by Circular Materials, which will continue to oversee recycling collection, cart delivery, and resident support.
Circular Materials is a national, not-for-profit, producer-governed organization in Canada that manages recycling systems and operates Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs.
City officials say recycling will continue to be picked up bi-weekly, and the new recycling cart delivery begins in May.
See related: City of North Bay announces blue boxes to be replaced by recycling carts
Jennifer Kerr, Director of Community and Media Relations – Ontario, Circular Materials, says the new program is part of an enhanced Blue Box recycling program, which came into place on January 1, 2026.
“Households across the province now have a convenient and enhanced system that recycles more materials, more easily,” said Kerr in an email to BayToday.
“Ontario’s new blue box recycling program is 100 per cent funded by producers – the companies that supply packaging and paper products to consumers in Ontario, including the familiar brands and retailers Ontarians interact with every day. This means municipalities and taxpayers will no longer pay for recycling services, as this cost will now be paid by producers.
Kerr says as part of Ontario’s transition to an enhanced recycling system, changes to recycling are coming to North Bay that will make recycling easier and more convenient for residents.
“Starting June 1, 2026, North Bay residents will be using a new recycling cart to support recycling collection,” said Kerr.
“Residents can combine all recyclables into their new recycling cart – no sorting required. This makes it easy and convenient to recycle more – including the new materials introduced in Ontario’s new unified material list, effective province-wide as of January 1, 2026. New materials include coffee cups, toothpaste tubes, deodorant, and more.”
She says residents can find the most up-to-date information about recycling in their community, including what they can recycle, at circularmaterials.ca/northbay.
The bins also come with a unique tracker tag to avoid bin theft.
“The RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag on your cart helps ensure your recycling cart is correctly registered to your address,” she explains.
“This technology helps prevent lost or misplaced carts and supports efficient service delivery. The tag does not collect any personal information or track recycling activities.”
Kerr adds that Circular Materials is getting a lot of positive feedback about its bin tracking system.
“Many residents and communities across the province are already using this automated, single-stream cart collection system for their curbside recycling,” said Kerr.
“Residents have shared positive feedback regarding the ease and convenience of all materials going into one bin with no sorting required, and of only having one bin to take to the curb – a single cart with wheels that is easy to roll down the driveway.”
In May 2026, each North Bay household will have its new recycling cart delivered to its home.
“An Additional Recycling Container Request Form is also available on our website for residents whose residential recycling needs consistently exceed the capacity of the recycling containers provided and who require an additional container,” she said.
“We appreciate residents’ and communities’ continued engagement and participation in recycling. Resident participation is vital to increasing recycling rates and advancing a more sustainable future.”