NEWS RELEASE COUNTY OF WELLINGTON
Wellington County, Ont.- The Blue Box Programme in Ontario is changing. The new programme will replace the current municipal Blue Box Programme and will transition from municipal responsibility to a full-producer responsibility system. In Wellington County, the transition will begin on July 1 and will be in full effect on January 1, 2026.
The change was mandated by the Government of Ontario four years ago with new regulations that make producers fully accountable and financially responsible for their product packaging once they reach the end of their life and sets mandatory and enforceable requirements for the Blue Box collection systems.
Over 400 blue box programmes in Ontario are expected to transition to extended producer responsibility by December 31, 2025.
The collection programme will be managed by Circular Materials Ontario. While the responsibility for the blue box programme may be changing, there will be no immediate change to how residents recycle during the transition period.
Beginning July 1, residents will contact Waste Management at canresidential@wm.com or 1.800.561.1655 for blue box recycling related questions.
Solid Waste Services Committee Chair Steve O’Neill states that, “While it is a big change for the County not to be responsible for residential recycling services anymore, it is great that Wellington taxpayers will no longer pay $2 million in annual recycling system costs. Some of these savings will now be reinvested to allow businesses to recycle at no cost in Wellington County.”
For more information, visit www.wellington.ca/bbtransition.
