Ontario\u2019s transition to a new blue box program for small businesses has been far from smooth.<\/p>\n
Published Jan 09, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
![\"Norfolk](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Norfolk-Recycling-Troubles.jpg\")
This is the scene in front of many Norfolk County businesses due to a new recycling program introduced by the province. As of Jan. 1, 2026, small businesses are now required to hire contractors to collect their recyclable materials. Photo by Jacob Robinson \/SIMCOE REFORMERArticle content<\/p>\n
Ontario\u2019s transition to a new blue box program for small businesses has been far from smooth.<\/p>\n
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This week marked the first go-round of the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) program, which puts the onus on businesses to establish contracts for recycling collection with private companies. Not everyone got the memo, and as a result, plenty of material was left curbside.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s what I\u2019m seeing downtown: Businesses are clearly not being serviced (which makes sense \u2013 it is no longer a municipal requirement), while downtown residential recycling continues to be collected,\u201d Josh Parsons of Simcoe Strong, a volunteer group that focuses on keeping the town clean, posted on social media. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is adding massive confusion and, predictably, is degrading into a lot of finger-pointing that pits community members, citizens, and businesses against each other.\u201d <\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s truly gross out there,\u201d Parsons added, saying leftover plant waste is decaying under brown snow, while chunks of plastic, glass, and dog poop are part of the equation as well. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t imagine what sort of impression it would leave on someone visiting for the day,\u201d Parsons added. <\/p>\n
It appears the biggest challenge municipally contracted collectors are facing is what to take and what to leave. Many businesses in downtown Simcoe, for instance, have apartments above them, and there\u2019s nothing to differentiate materials between apartments and businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt our building, the four apartments were picked up this morning, but not the businesses,\u201d said a post by Joy Cafe in Simcoe. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis will fill our landfills faster.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady responded to the post. <\/p>\n
\u201cI encourage people to definitely write to the Minister (of Environment Todd McCarthy) and Premier (Doug Ford),\u201d she said. \u201cSadly, we are now fighting this after the fact. A campaign to stop this should have been launched by municipalities long ago.\u201d <\/p>\n
Several municipalities and organizations spoke up against the program before its rollout, said Merissa Bokla, Norfolk\u2019s supervisor of Waste Management, but their words had little effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been numerous organizations that have also identified challenges with this program and viewed it as a step backward,\u201d Bokla said. \u00a0\u201cMunicipalities were saying that this is a miss, so to speak, and that not collecting these materials will have challenges and issues.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Bokla said she\u2019s received many calls from residents and business owners inquiring about the program. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more so people looking for clarification of things. As far as materials getting left behind, that hasn\u2019t come through Norfolk County,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a few are contractors that I\u2019m aware of that are offering (collection for businesses) and they can tailor it to whatever their needs are for that service, whether it be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, but it\u2019s up to them to seek out a contract with a third party that would be able to assist them with collecting their recycling.\u201d <\/p>\n
Joy Cafe\u2019s account said that they\u2019ve been quoted $45 for each pickup.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s interesting how small businesses are assumed to be never-ending pools of money,\u201d the post said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is a direct punch to small businesses who keep struggling to keep fair prices against the rising costs on everything, and now we are supposed to hire private haulers for standard recyclables?\u201d said one commenter.<\/p>\n
In response to the discussion, Norfolk Councillor Adam Veri pointed out that the new program eliminated $163,900 from the levy budget. He posted that in 2026, the cost to continue the service for 2026 was estimated at just over $400,000, but that number increased to $450,000 <\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason for the huge jump year-to-year is that in 2025 ICI recyclables could be collected along the same routes by the same trucks collecting recycling from residential properties,\u201d Veri wrote. \u201cThe province has determined this is no longer allowed, and that ICI and residential recycling cannot mix, even at transfer stations or recycling facilities. Because of this decision, an entirely separate route would be required in order for the county to continue ICI collection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNorfolk County must hire a private contractor to collect recycling from all municipal buildings and facilities,\u201d Veri continued. \u201cThe county is budgeting $162,000 for this collection in 2026. So the overall cost avoidance in not collecting recycling from non-municipal ICI properties is somewhere between an estimated $205,000 and $290,000.\u201d<\/p>\n
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