Changes are coming to how blue and black bins are collected across the province. Under regulations from the Government of Ontario (link is external), responsibility for collecting and processing recycling across Ontario will transfer to producers of paper and packaging. This means that Ontarians will be able to recycle the same materials no matter where they live.
What this will mean for curbside recycling collection in Ottawa:
- Continue to put your bins out by 7 am on your collection day. They will be collected by a different truck and collection may occur at a different time of day than usual.
- There will be minor changes to what can go in your blue and black bins as of January 1, 2026. A full list of items that can be recycled is available on the Circular Materials website(link is external). The City will provide more details in the coming weeks.
- You can continue to use your existing standard sized blue and black bins.
- Beginning on Thursday, January 1, 2026, you will no longer contact the City for any recycling-related services such as a broken bin or a missed collection.
More details will be provided in the coming weeks on who residents can contact for recycling collection services in 2026.
How the heck are they recycling plastic bags…
It’s a bit of an oversimplification, but the bags are melted down in large quantities and then chopped up into plastic pellets which can be used to make new plastic bags.