Key Changes for Businesses:

• Municipal Service Ends: Starting January 1, 2026, municipal curbside blue box collection services for Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (IC&I) properties will be discontinued.
• Private Arrangements Required: Businesses are now responsible for arranging their own private recycling collection services with third-party waste management contractors.
• No Co-collection: Circular Materials does not allow recycling material from businesses to be collected with the residential material.

In some municipalities, businesses may drop off recycling at their recycling facilities, subject to a fee to cover the transfer, haulage, and processing costs. We have heard that some smaller municipalities with no recycling facilities nearby are no longer able to collect recycling from businesses at their local landfill sites as a result of the new regulations.

Many municipalities have lobbied the Provincial Government to allow continued curbside recycling collection for small IC&I locations. However, on October 1, 2025, the municipalities were notified by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that Circular Materials would not be able to fulfill this direction, and the Province would not proceed with further regulatory changes.

We recognize this is a complex and challenging file. However, we will be urging the Government to fully consider the vast geography of Northern Ontario and the already significant challenges operators face in managing waste.

This change is adding yet another layer of cost for businesses that are already under intense pressure from rising operating, food, insurance, and compliance expenses.

Whether you are in an organized or unorganized municipality, please take a moment to participate in this survey to let us know how you previously disposed of your recycling waste and how these changes will impact your business.