‘It will make or break some businesses,’ fears Brechin man; Legion official said ‘non-profits are also caught in the squeeze’ of new regimen<\/p>\n
When new provincial recycling legislation comes into effect Jan. 1, 2026, the County of Simcoe will cease to collect recyclable materials.<\/p>\n
The county will continue to manage garbage and organics, but Circular Materials<\/a> will be responsible for managing and collecting recyclable materials \u2014 and only from residential properties \u2014 across the province.<\/p>\n The industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector \u2014 which includes not-for-profits and small businesses \u2014 is exempt from the collection service under the new legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had numerous meetings with the minister over this, saying it\u2019s a step backwards for Simcoe County if you\u2019re not going to (include small businesses),\u201d said Ramara Mayor Basil Clarke.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand why they did it. They\u2019re trying to standardize the entire province of Ontario. If you can believe it, there were still municipalities that weren\u2019t recycling at all,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Despite lobbying the province to include the ICI sector in the recycling collection program, the County of Simcoe was unsuccessful. With no room in the county\u2019s 2026 budget to absorb extra costs, fees related to recyclable materials will fall to small business owners.<\/p>\n \u201cLosing the recycling aspect of it, it\u2019s actually costing us more to operate our landfills now,\u201d said Clarke.<\/p>\n He laments that small businesses will soon need to pay for and manage their recycling.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m definitely going to have to pay somebody to take it away, or make a trip up to the dump once a month or something,\u201d said Michael O’Donnell, owner of Mike\u2019s Autobody & Tyre on Concession Road in Brechin.<\/p>\n \u201cOur blue box is over full every two weeks,\u201d said O\u2019Donnell, who believes some of the recycling will end up in the garbage come the new year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll end up in the streets and the ditches, you name it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Many large scale industrial businesses in Ramara don\u2019t use the service provided by the county. As Clarke pointed out, it\u2019s based on what can fit into the 360-litre cart.<\/p>\n It will be \u201cthe little mom and pop stores\u201d that are most affected by the changes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate because these businesses wanted to take part in that program,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n