Blue box recycling to be turned over to provincial agency

Niagara region staff are suggesting an annual cost savings of about $3 million once a full transition of how recycling is collected in all 12 lower-tier municipalities is in full swing in about two years.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, however, says there will be issues when a new program starts going to the curb next year.

In mid-July, the region’s public works committee chose to opt out of continuing to provide curbside collection of recycling from residences, facilities and public spaces when a new Producer Responsibility Blue Box Program is enacted on Jan. 1.

Regional council rubber-stamped this move at last Thursday’s council meeting.

This means the responsibility of residential recycling collection is set to be removed from the region and placed solely in the hands of Circular Materials Ontario, an organization responsible for setting up contracts to collect and receive recycling materials across the province, on behalf of producers.

“The decision was made due to potential risks with the agreements being offered by Circular Materials Ontario that would have seen the region maintain responsibility as a recycling collection provider, on Circular Materials Ontario’s behalf, until Dec. 31, 2025,” reads a news release from the region following the decision of the public works committee on July 11.

The decision results in discontinuing the collection of materials that are not part of the new provincial producer responsibility program, such as books and flexible plastics used for food containment, which are currently collected in Niagara but are not included in the new Blue Box program, the region said in its release.

But the region will continue recycling collection for special events during the two-year transition period.

Zalepa said he’s pleased the region will still accommodate special events, but that he is “concerned for the future.”

Certain items no longer being collected and what this means for volumes at local landfills is one of his concerns.

“I’m going to suspect this is going to impact them negatively,” said Zalepa during the July 12 public works committee meeting. “I’m very disappointed with how this is unfolding.”

Zalepa also asked staff to provide council with further information in a future report about Circular Materials Ontario, a not-for-profit organization.

He wants to know who sits on its board and “what corporate entities they’re representing.”

Staff has also been directed to implement a communication strategy to advise residents of the upcoming changes, which Niagara-on-the-Lake Regional Coun. Andrea Kaiser said will be important during the transition.

She understands there will be a “learning curve” for residents, but hopes the regional government isn’t “taking a step back” by taking on the provincial program.

“When it comes to people’s behaviours, that’s never a good thing — especially if we’re talking about something like environmental impacts,” Kaiser told The Local.

A decision about whether the region will continue to collect materials from industrial, commercial and institutional properties, a service not covered under the new Blue Box regulation, will also be up for consideration at a future meeting, said the region in its release.

Niagara Region will continue to be responsible for green bin, yard waste and garbage collection from residential properties as well as management of its landfills and other diversion programs.

Catherine Habermebl, the region’s director of waste management services, said staff will be collecting data as the program rolls out.

“We’ll definitely be monitoring this over time to see the impacts,” she said.