What to know

Toronto residents across several neighbourhoods report missed blue bin recycling pickups just days after Circular Materials took over the service on Jan. 1.

Councillor Josh Matlow has called the rollout “completely unacceptable,” criticizing the Ford government’s decision to privatize recycling and pointing to a lack of accountability and resident confusion.

Circular Materials says missed post-holiday collections in parts of Districts 2 and 3 began being picked up on Monday, with crews working through the week to clear remaining recycling.

The transition has left residents unsure who to contact for missed pickups, as recycling collection is no longer handled by the City of Toronto or 311.

Just days into its new role, Ontario’s privatized recycling company is under fire for missed collections across Toronto, and one city councillor is calling it “unacceptable.”

National non-profit, Circular Materials, is now responsible for the province-wide recycling program, Green For Life (GFL) has been contracted out to do recycling pickup in the city, which began in Toronto as of Jan. 1. 

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However, it hasn’t been off to a smooth start. Residents in several neighbourhoods across the city have reported recycling piling up on curbsides following the new year, and attempts to get clarity from the new service provider have left some frustrated and confused. 

“Recycling bins on my street didn’t get picked up Friday as per schedule with this new private company…bins and bags still on the curb three days later,” one resident complained on X. 

“Recycling collection in my neighbourhood was skipped and everyone’s bins have been out now for four days. Most bins are overflowing from the holidays and people are putting their excess recycling on the sidewalk.” a Reddit user wrote online, adding that as of Monday evening, there still had been no pickup. 

“You can no longer call 311 about recycling issues and the private company isn’t responsive. I have a bad feeling this will be a regular occurrence.”

Ward 12–St. Paul’s Councillor Josh Matlow, who has been fairly vocal online about the missed pickups, calling them “completely unacceptable,” says constituents in his riding are still awaiting collections. 

The Ford government has removed most residential recycling pick up from the City and has given a company called Circular Materials responsibility for this service. I’m hearing from several residents that their recycling wasn’t picked up last week. This is completely unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/cqa5OwulPz

— Josh Matlow (@JoshMatlow) January 4, 2026

“There are still people in our communities who are waiting for their pickup to happen,” Matlow told Now Toronto on Tuesday, adding that he’s been in contact with the CEO of Circular Materials. “[The CEO] has said that they’re going to get trucks out ASAP to clean up the mess… But to my knowledge, the job hasn’t been completed yet, so I’m hopeful that it happens soon.”

Under the belief that recycling should have remained in city control, Matlow slammed the Ontario government for the rollout of the new service. 

“The Ford government decided to privatize this basic service that most people would consider a city service, and right out of the gate, not only did they not do the pickup well, in many cases, they didn’t do it at all,” Matlow said. 

The councillor emphasized that he’ll continue to advocate for residents through the mayor’s office, and said he is actively working to hold both the province and Circular Materials accountable.

“I want the government to be accountable, and the way to be accountable is to actually control the management of the services that we are meant to provide, and then residents can choose if they’re happy or not,” he said. “But right now, on behalf of residents, I can tell you I’m frustrated with the direction that this government’s going.”

HOW IS CIRCULAR MATERIALS RESPONDING?

In response to the missed collections, CEO of Circular Materials, Allen Langdon, confirmed that the households in Districts 2 (defined as West of Yonge Street, from the Humber River east to Yonge Street, extending from Steeles Avenue south to Lake Ontario) and 3 (East of Yonge Street, from Yonge Street east to Victoria Park, also extending from Steeles Avenue south to Lake Ontario) who missed their post-holiday recycling collection had pickups restarted on Monday, and that collection will continue this week.

“Our service provider, GFL Environmental, confirmed they have made significant progress in supporting collection in both districts. Collection trucks are mobilized and GFL is actively working throughout this week to prioritize collection until all material has been picked up,” Langdon said in an email statement. “Residents are asked to please leave their recycling out to support pick up. This special collection was scheduled outside the regular recycling pickup cycle to support increased recycling volumes following the holiday season.”

Langdon added that this special collection only applies to a subset of households in these districts and apologized for any inconvenience, thanking residents for their patience. 

The CEO also encouraged residents to continue their regular recycling routines to support higher recycling rates and positive environmental outcomes.