Transition to private blue box has been bumpy in at least one northern Ontario city
CBC
This past week, the mayor of Timmins watched a recycling truck drive by her house and not pick up her bins.
It's one example of a bumpy blue box transition in the northern Ontario city, one of the latest in the province to hand over responsibility for recycling to the private sector.
It's part of a provincial regulation to make the manufacturers of plastic, paper and other products cover the costs of recycling, taking the financial burden off of municipalities.
In Timmins, where the city had only been handling the recycling for the past 12 years, the change happened on Jan. 1, with a private contractor now collecting blue boxes.
"We had a problem on day one," said Ken Krcel, the director of public works and environmental services in Timmins.
"It is a learning curve... We are hoping they become more efficient and there are less complaints."
Krcel said they've had over 40 complaints in the first few weeks, as the collection schedule they provided to the contractor and to Circular Materials Ontario— the agency overseeing the switch— was not always followed.
He says the new contractor has also decided not to operate recycling depots in rural areas of Timmins and so the city is keeping them running, at least for this next "transition year."
Overall, Krcel says not running the recycling program should save the city between $250,000 and $300,000 per year, but he expects most of that will be swallowed up by the increasing costs of operating a landfill.
"It's not our job any more. It's a big change," he said.
"Cities are not usually used to uploading. Most of the time, we get downloaded, so it is different."
Sault Ste. Marie made the switch in September 2023, but it was simply of matter of changing who is paying the long-time contractor GFL, who continues to collect recycling in the city.
Greater Sudbury is scheduled to begin the transition on April 1 and it is coming to North Bay on Jan. 1, 2026.
North Bay city Coun. Mac Bain, who served on a provincial committee planning over this change, says the hope is that this will force the private sector to create "a true circular economy."
This past week, the mayor of Timmins watched a recycling truck drive by her house and not pick up her bins.
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