Simcoe County is once again advising residents and businesses about upcoming changes to local recycling services as the province transitions to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the new year.
The shift, mandated by the Province of Ontario, requires municipalities to adjust curbside collection programs and introduce new fee structures for recycling disposal.
Under these changes, recycling drop-off at County transfer stations will now include a disposal fee, as the County will no longer receive provincial funding to offset costs. Drop-off recycling will carry a minimum charge of $10 and a rate of $200 per tonne for all residential users who receive curbside service, as well as industrial, commercial, and institutional (IC&I) properties. County officials say the fees are necessary to cover hauling and processing costs and maintain service levels.
Businesses and institutions are also being reminded that curbside recycling collection will end in the new year under provincial direction. Although garbage and organics pickup will continue, recycling must be separated and either dropped off at County waste facilities (subject to the new fees) or collected privately. The County notes that it advocated for continued curbside recycling for small IC&I properties, but the Province confirmed in October that Circular Materials would not be able to provide this service.
For residents, curbside recycling collection will continue on regular pickup days using existing carts, though collection will now be handled by Emterra on behalf of Circular Materials. Garbage and organics will continue to be collected by Miller Waste. Pickup times may vary due to new routing.
The changes take effect January 1sr, 2026. Any recycling-related inquiries, including missed pickups and cart issues, should be directed to Emterra at 1-888-597-1541 or customercareont@emterra.ca.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at:
- News1013@LocalRadio.ca (Milton)
- News1015@LocalRadio.ca (Orangeville)
- News92@LocalRadio.ca (South Simcoe)
- Rick.Sargent@LocalRadio.ca (Bolton)
If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
