Starting in January, there will be a new, single-stream recycling system in Windsor-Essex.
That means you’ll get a big blue cart dropped off at your house over the next few weeks. It will be similar to a Herby Curby and the new green bins that were dropped off in front of homes this summer.
This means you won’t have to sort all of your recyclables and put them into different red and blue boxes. Collection will remain biweekly across the region.
“These carts will help simplify recycling, reduce litter and provide increased storage capacity,” said Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials — a Toronto-based non-profit company in charge of Ontario’s new recycling system for packaging and paper products.
The actual recycling pickups are being farmed out to the service provider, GFL Environmental in Windsor-Essex.
Ontarians will be able to recycle the same way — and include even more materials — no matter where they live.
Some newer items includes hot and cold beverage cups, deodorant and toothpaste tubes, plastic ice cream tubs, black plastic containers and frozen juice containers.
They’ll continue to accept paper, cardboard, newspaper and catalogues, cartons, plastic containers, metal containers, and glass bottles and jars.
Some items you still won’t be able to put out for recycling are diapers, ceramics, toys and books.
Blue bins circulated across Windsor-Essex by Circular Materials. (Circular Materials)
Circular Materials recommends ensuring recyclables are separated from garbage and organic materials.
It also suggests bundling flattened cardboard and keeping things clean, dry and loose, whenever possible.
During snowy weather, it recommends placing the cart on a shovelled surface at the end of the driveway — and not on the street or on top of a snowbank.
Carts are to be placed with the wheels away from the curb, with the lid opening to the street.