Starting later this year, Ontario’s Blue Box collection service will undergo some major changes that will affect municipalities across the province.
The Ontario government is shifting the cost and responsibility for residential collection and sorting of household recycling onto industry producers who generate waste paper and packaging.
The transition period will take place over the next three years, from July 1, 2023, to 2025, to ensure a smooth transition for municipalities and producers.
Kingston’s transition is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2025.
Kingston has operated the region’s largest blue and brown box recycling depot since 1989, but its days as a city-run facility may be numbered.
CKWS
The city of Kingston has already begun laying the groundwork for moving out of the curbside recycling business, although officials stress that residents will not receive notice of service changes during the transition.
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The city has developed significant blue material collection and sorting infrastructure over the decades and seeks to waive much of it for the recycling pile.
Kingston has operated a large recycling collection and sorting facility and weighing scale on Lappan Lane known as the Kingston Area Recycling Center (KARC) since 1989. It is the largest facility of its kind in South Eastern Ontario.
The city council is now looking for a tenant for the huge facility after Industry Producers took over the local recycling service.
Councilors pre-approved the potential lease of KARC and associated equipment for up to 10 years to companies wishing to submit proposals to provide recycling collection, transfer and processing services in the Kingston area. Companies will be selected based on a provincially regulated bidding process.
“The ultimate benefit of this is that we are maximizing our assets. If we do not take advantage of this, we run the risk of being a stranded asset on which we will lose money,” said the city in charge of the Blue Box service Brad Joyce, the U.S. Commissioner of Transportation and Public Works, explains.
At this time, staff recommended against selling the property outright, adding that it still had long-term value due to its proximity to other municipal services such as a regional fire training center, industrial zoning designation, and nearby yard waste operations.
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Joyce says that leasing the building would provide the city with additional revenue to offset any losses from municipal sales of recyclable materials.
Kingston currently loses about $2 million per year in provincial recycling subsidies to provide the residential service.
The deadline for submitting proposals for companies interested in providing local recycling services is March 31, according to a staff report.
It is unclear how many jobs at recycling centers and blue and gray box collection routes may be affected.
Kingston has 6 full-time recycling collectors in the inner city, while the East and West areas have a blue box collection service contracted.
CKWS
The city has six full-time employees and eight waste collection vehicles on routes in central Kingston, while suburban routes in the east and west areas are contracted out. Contracted service is negotiated until 2028 but has an early termination clause.
According to a 2018 study for the city, Kingston provides Blue Box service to approximately 45,000 single-family households and 8,500 multi-family households, and the recycling depot processes more than 10,400 tons of recycled waste per year.
At their February 7 meeting, councilors wanted to know if the city could submit its own bid to retain control of the service.
But employees say that option is highly unlikely.
“We do not believe there will be any real opportunity for the City to bid. The intent of the province is clear – to move to a circular economy. The City is not in the best position to live in that competitive market,” Joyce explains. .
The focus of a circular economy is to make individual producers responsible and accountable for how they collect and manage their packaging and products after they have been used.
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As far as what families can expect with the changing Blue Box service – whether it will be the same, better or worse than what residents expect – provincial law is clear that new providers of service must complement the existing Blue Box service levels in the city until at least 2026, Joyce points out.
In addition, he says the aim is to collect a consistent set of blue and gray box material across the province. For example, whatever household items are collected in Kapuskasing will be the same as in Kingston.
There will be no disparity in the items – such as cans, cardboard and plastics – that are picked up in each municipality.
Ontario intends to collect a consistent set of blue and gray box content across the province beyond 2026.
CKWS
According to Joyce, this could mean a greater variety of items collected in some municipalities and a shortage in others.
“Ontario will move to a standard recycling program with a similar collection system. It could be different, it could be better. The goal is to have the same service level for every municipality.
In addition to recycling household hazardous waste such as paint and batteries, responsibility will also shift to manufacturer collection.
The city is expected to maintain control over yard waste and green bin organics collection.
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