‘I just want to let you know that here in Simcoe County.. we live in a snow belt and winter happens every year as well,’ says frustrated local mayor
A presentation from Circular Materials officials led several councillors in Simcoe County to express their worries about complaints they’ve received from residents who are facing major issues with the new blue-box recycling program that started in January.
This change is part of Ontario’s wider shift that transfers the responsibility for residential recycling from municipalities to organizations run by producers.
Al Langdon, the chief executive officer for Circular Materials, a not-for-profit group managing Ontario’s transition to producer-run recycling and overseeing collection, processing, and system performance, joined county councillors via video during Tuesday’s committee meeting. He provided updates on the program and answered questions.
During his talk, Langdon highlighted the importance of ongoing collaboration and mentioned that the organization is dedicated to improving the recycling system throughout Ontario.
Langdon shared performance goals and reiterated the aim of creating “a convenient and simplified recycling system for Ontarians.”
This includes a comprehensive list of accepted materials along with technical upgrades and infrastructure investments that he claimed are supporting job creation.
“We are also focused on increasing recycling and reducing contamination,” said Langdon, noting that some areas have contamination rates as high as 35 percent.
“That means one in three trucks going into processing facilities is full of garbage,” he added. “We need to reduce that mainly to improve the quality of recycled material we can transform into new products and packaging.”
The ultimate aim is to establish a circular economy, Langdon explained. This involves keeping materials in use for as long as possible through reuse, recycling, and recovery instead of them becoming waste.
Al Langdon is the chief executive officer for Circular Materials. Image supplied
“We’ve spent considerable time focusing on packaging innovation and developing a material access program aimed at eventually returning processed materials back to producers for use as packaging for new products,” he stated.
The recent shift of the provincial blue-box program from municipal oversight to producer responsibility is Canada’s largest initiative of its kind ever undertaken, according to Langdon.
He pointed out that Circular Materials has been leading this transition since 2023 and now services more than five million homes.
“While many communities have had a smooth recycling experience, some certainly faced challenges regarding collection and management changes,” Langdon said.
“Transitions this large often come with short-term difficulties, and our team continues responding quickly while working with service providers to address operational issues promptly-including taking immediate steps to fix missed collections,” he added.
As reported last month on Orillia Matters, one family of six in Oro-Medonte mentioned they hadn’t had their recycling picked up since December 16. An official from Circular Materials stated its service provider, Emterra Environmental, had contacted this household to ensure their recyclables would be collected.
Back at county council, Langdon indicated that weather-related delays, a lack of road salt which created unsafe conditions for drivers, along with increased volumes after holidays contributed significantly to what became a rocky start for some residents during this transition period.
“Whenever we encounter safety concerns regarding drivers’ conditions it leads directly to delays in collections; this has indeed caused disruptions across many areas within the province-and particularly within Simcoe County. There were five days in January when Emterra couldn’t complete collection due to weather,” he said.
Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke disagreed with attributing service delays solely due to unsafe roads related to salt shortages. He emphasized there were no such issues faced by the county this winter.
Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin also questioned this explanation expressing doubt over linking current problems primarily due only upon weather or holiday seasons specifically.
“I just want you all aware-here in Simcoe County Christmas comes every year alongside winter!” she remarked.(This passage needs improvement.)
(Please make adjustments while maintaining consistency). ‘
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“I just want you all aware-here in Simcoe County Christmas comes every year alongside winter!” she remarked.(This passage needs improvement.)
(Please make adjustments while maintaining consistency). ‘
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