As the transition to the new recycling program across Ontario gets off to a rocky start, the company that has taken over the collection of blue bins and boxes has announced that a major change is coming.

Circular Materials, the non-profit company tasked with unifying the way curbside recycling is conducted in the province, says that as of March 1, only items placed inside the recycling bins will be collected.

This means that blue recycling bags, large cardboard boxes and other items left outside of the bin will not be picked up.

The company says additional recycling bins will soon be made available for residents to accommodate overflow waste.

Circular Materials has not specifically outlined why the blue bags and the excess items won’t be collected. However, there have been indications that the blue bags carry contaminated material and can complicate the recycling process, as well as jam sorting machinery.

The transition to the new service hasn’t been a smooth one, with many households in Ontario already experiencing difficulties with the collection service. Some neighbourhoods report that the blue recycling bags already have not been picked up during recent collection periods.

As well, there have been complaints about bins going several weeks without being collected, confusion over what kind of items can now go into the bins, the lack of information sent out before the switchover began on Jan. 1, and the difficulty people have had in contacting Circular Materials.

Until the beginning of 2026, the collection of recyclables was the responsibility of municipalities in Ontario, with each having had different rules regarding what could be placed in blue bins and blue boxes. The different rules created confusion for almost everyone involved in the process and led to contaminating recycling efforts when items that didn’t belong ended up in recycling bins.

For instance, some municipalities previously accepted take-out coffee cups such as those from Tim Hortons, while others didn’t. Now the cups can be recycled anywhere in Ontario.

To standardize the process, the Ontario government mandated the new model that is being carried out by Circular Materials, the non-profit company founded by 17 of Canada’s leading food, beverage and consumer products manufacturers, restaurants and retailers. These companies include Costco, McDonald’s, Metro, Coca-Cola and Nestle.

The Ontario government says the change will cut municipal costs by making the producers of the product pay for their own waste, as well as bring about consistency.

Circular Materials says that later this month, those who need an extra blue bin can request one by filling out a form on their website at circularmaterials.ca.

 

 

 

 

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