ANALYSIS: Could Ontario’s recycling changes leave cities holding the bag?
Published Online: June 19, 2025
Written by: John Michael McGrath
"Earlier this month, the Ontario government proposed major changes to the blue-bin system of recycling collection that, critics say, would substantially weaken the province’s goals for diverting waste from landfills. The proposed changes, still open for public comment until July 4, would extend the timelines for Ontario to hit certain diversion targets from 2030 to 2035. More importantly, they would remove certain obligations from the privately operated consortia that are taking responsibility for recycling away from Ontario municipalities.
This transition is part of the long-term transformation of the blue-bin program from a municipally-operated service to one funded and operated by the companies responsible for creating the packaging and other waste that ends up in landfills. Originating under the Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne in 2016, the Tories inherited and largely continued the blue-bin transition as relatively uncontroversial environmental policy that also promised to remove some cost pressure from municipal taxpayers. ..."
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