Environment Minister and local MPP Jeff Yurek has announced that the province is bringing recycling to more communities and expanding the list of blue bin items.
It’s part of a plan to shift operating costs to waste producers and standardize the blue box program across Ontario, stresses Yurek.
He notes the service will also be expanded to more facilities.
Yurek adds the enhanced Blue Box program will be staggered from 2023 to 2025 to ensure a smooth transition for municipalities and producers.
He estimates the change will save municipalities 156-million dollars a year.
The enhanced Blue Box program will make recycling easier for Ontarians by:
· Expanding collection to all communities outside the Far North by 2026;
· Standardizing what can be recycled across Ontario;
· Accepting common single-use and packaging-like products such as paper and plastic cups, foils, trays, bags and boxes sold for home use;
· Collecting single-use items that are distributed or sold to consume food and beverage products, like stir sticks, straws, cutlery and plates;
· Expanding services to more facilities such as apartment buildings, municipally run or non-profit long-term care homes and retirement homes, and schools;
The province is also expanding collection to more parks, playgrounds, and transit stations, more than tripling the number of public space recycling bins funded under the current program so there are more opportunities to recycle at home and on the go.
