Circular Materials to Manage Owen Sound’s Blue Box Recycling Program as of July 1

Circular Materials (CM), a national, not-for-profit recycling organization, will manage Owen Sound's blue box recycling program starting Saturday, July 1. This transition will result in no change to the recyclable materials residents currently put in their blue boxes or to current recycling schedules. Similarly, there will be no change to corrugated cardboard recycling schedules.  

This change in oversight of the city’s blue box recycling efforts is due to the provincial mandate. In 2021, Ontario passed a new regulation that shifts the financial and operational responsibility of blue box recycling from municipalities to producers (i.e., those that produce and supply blue box materials to residents). In this new extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework, producers will become fully responsible for collecting and recycling their materials when residents discard them. This transition to EPR will take place between July 1, 2023, and the end of December 2025. CM will be managing municipal recycling programs on behalf of producers to support them in meeting their regulatory obligations. CM has contracted with Miller Waste to undertake all curbside recycling collections for Owen Sound. 

Blue boxes will still be available for purchase at Owen Sound City Hall until Friday, June 30. After July 1, residents can contact Miller Waste’s customer service line at 519-374-4944 or email area17@millerwaste.ca for all recycling inquiries or to obtain a blue box, which can be picked up at the Owen Sound Miller Waste Yard, located at 2125 20^th Avenue East.

Beginning July 1, Owen Sound’s residents can visit CM’s website at CircularMaterials.ca for recycling information.

Details about Owen Sound’s Waste Management can be found at OwenSound.ca/Waste or on Owen Sound’s 2023 Waste Management Calendar. 

For more information, please contact Heidi Jennen, Supervisor of Environmental Services at 519-376-4440 ext. 3223 or email to hjennen@owensound.ca 

Quotes: 

"The City of Owen Sound looks forward to our partnership with Circular Materials and working towards our shared goals of improving recycling rates and protecting the environment.” 

- Mayor Ian Boddy 

“Circular Materials looks forward to delivering a seamless transition of recycling services for the residents of Owen Sound. As the province transitions to the extended producer responsibility framework, Ontarians can expect to have a convenient, consistent, and effective recycling system that will improve recycling rates – a change that will not only benefit people but also our planet.”

- Allen Langdon, CEO, Circular Materials

Quick Facts: 

• CM will manage Owen Sound’s blue box recycling program as of July 1.
• During the transition period, there will be no change to the materials residents can recycle or to current recycling schedules. 
• Miller Waste will be responsible for curbside collection.
• CM is committed to building efficient and effective recycling systems that improve recycling rates and advance a circular economy where materials are collected, recycled, and returned to producers for use as recycled content in new products and packaging.  
• CM will continue engaging with communities across Ontario to deliver a recycling program that reflects the needs of residents and protects the natural environment. 

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