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Coffee cups are now among the previously non-recyclable items that residents in Ottawa can place into their blue bins starting Thursday.
A number of updates to the city’s recycling program will be implemented on Jan. 1, as Ontario moves towards a new provincial recycling framework. Some of these changes will be behind-the-scenes, while others will impact homeowners directly.
Most importantly, the list of recyclables that can go in blue bins in Ottawa (and all other communities across the province) now includes coffee cups, deodorant containers, toothpaste tubes, ice cream tubs, black plastic containers and frozen juice containers.
This diagram provides a useful guide on what Ottawa residents can now dispose of in their blue and black bins:
Here’s what else you need to know about the recycling changes coming into effect this week.
What else is different
Apart from the expanded list of recyclables, one major change homeowners in Ottawa will notice is that a company called Miller Waste Services – not the City of Ottawa – will be collecting their blue and black bins into a truck.
Miller Waste Services has been contracted by Circular Materials, the organization selected by the Ontario government to oversee the province’s recycling system.
<p Collection by Miller Waste Services might occur at different times compared to what residents were used to under the City of Ottawa’s management, so residents have been warned.
<p Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials, told CBC's Ottawa Morning that if people face any issues, they can call Miller Waste; if there’s a "need for escalation," they can contact Circular Materials.
<p Contact details for both organizations can be found here.
Ottawa Morning11:21The way you recycle in Ottawa is set to changeAllen Langdon CEO of Circular Materials explains how they’re taking over collection of blue and black bins in Ottawa.
One critic questions whether moving services away from the city is a wise decision.
“When we create issues locally, we manage those issues locally. We have local accountability; we can foster local innovation; we can make local improvements,” said Angela Keller-Herzog, executive director of Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability. “So I’m skeptical whether this [new] program will serve us well.”
Circular Materials was founded by 17 leading food and beverage companies along with consumer goods producers and retailers like Coca-Cola Canada, McDonald’s and Loblaw Companies Limited as stated on their website. Let us know how your first collection under this new system goes for you. Reach out to Man at
[email protected]
Every year these companies report back to Circular Materials on how much packaging “they supply into {the marketplace},” then pay fees based on those amounts and types, Langdon mentioned.
“There’s now an incentive to reduce because if they lower packaging amounts they’ll pay [less] fees and incur [lower costs] supporting the blue box program,” Langdon stated.
What remains unchanged
The City of Ottawa will keep collecting recyclables from public spaces and municipal buildings.
The city will also continue managing waste and organics.
Schools plus multi-residential buildings built after Jan. 1 with six or more units won’t be able to join the provincial recycling program until 2031.
Homeowners can keep using their current blue and black bins. If they need a new one, they should call Miller Waste. There’s no charge for replacement bins.
Bins still need to be placed curbside by 7 a.m. on collection day.
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