Blue Box Transition
Changes are coming to recycling collection activities in Prince Edward County.
The Province of Ontario is shifting the responsibility for the collection of recycled materials to producers instead of municipalities, thanks to its Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) Plan. The change is effective in Prince Edward County on July 17, 2025.
This does not mean that blue box recycling program will cease on that date. In fact, the collection and processing of recycled materials will continue. However, Quinte Waste Solutions, which is owned and operated by the County of Prince Edward and eight other local municipalities, will no longer provide the service.
Instead, the blue box recycling program for the County of Prince Edward will be managed by Circular Materials Ontario (CMO). CMO has selected E360 Solutions to provide blue box recycling collection service for Prince Edward County.
What does this mean for Prince Edward County residents?
Your residential recycling materials will still be picked up and removed. Collection days and the sorting requirements may change. More information on these details will be provided when available from E360 Solutions in the Spring of 2025.
All materials previously collected will continue to be collected. Additional material types may also be included at the discretion of Circular Materials Ontario and E360 Solutions.
Garbage and organics collection will not be affected by this change.
What does this mean for industrial, commercial, and institutional property owners?
Things are a little different for industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) property owners. As of July 17, 2025, the onus will be on ICI locations to set up and cover costs for their own recycling systems by self-hauling recycling to a waste drop-off or obtaining private collection. Recycling can be dropped off at Prince Edward County waste sites on Saturdays when they are open. To accommodate ICI property owners, the municipality will also operate waste sites in Picton, Wellington, and Sophiasburgh on Wednesdays beginning in July 2025.
ICI properties include:
- All private sector businesses
- Not-for -profit organizations
- Municipal buildings or facilities
- Daycares
- Places of worship
- Campgrounds and trailer parks (without permanent or seasonal households)
- Commercial farms
What does this mean for mixed-use properties?
Only eligible portions of mixed-use properties will have their recycling collected by E360 Solutions. For example, residential portions of a mixed-use building will be collected; however, commercial portions will need to take their recycling to the nearest municipal waste site or arrange for private pickup. Click here to see a diagram for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is happening to Ontario's blue box program?
In 2021, the Ontario government passed a new regulation that shifts the financial and operational responsibility of blue box recycling programs to producers – those that produce and supply blue box materials to residents. In this new extended producer responsibility framework, producers will become fully responsible for collecting and recycling blue box materials.
As a result, blue box recycling programs among local municipalities in the Quinte region will be managed by Circular Materials, which is the administrator of the common collection system and a not-for-profit organization that is committed to building an efficient and effective recycling system in Ontario.
Circular Materials selected E360 Solutions to provide ‘blue box’ recycling service to Prince Edward County.
Why is the program changing?
Historically, Ontario’s blue box programs were operated by municipalities who were responsible for paying about half of the costs of the program, with producers responsible for the other half. Now, under the new blue box regulation, Ontario is transitioning to a new model where producers – the organizations that produce the products and packaging – are 100 per cent responsible for operating and funding the program.
Why isn't recyclable material from industrial, commercial, and institutional properties getting picked up?
Industrial, commercial, and institutional properties are considered non-eligible sources under the provincial blue box regulation (O.Reg. 391/21). As a result, municipalities would be responsible for paying 100 per cent of the costs of collecting blue box materials produced by ICI properties.
County of Prince Edward Council decided in September 2024 not to assume responsibility for collecting recyclable material from non-eligible sources due to the high costs associated with such a program. Collecting this small amount of material would have a disproportionately high cost given the small quantity and that the sources are very wide spread across Prince Edward County. As an alternative, Council agreed to accept recyclable material from non-eligible sources at municipal waste sites on Saturdays when they are open. As of July 2025, the Picton, Sophiasburgh, and Wellington waste sites will also be open on Wednesdays to receive this material.
When will these changes take effect?
Circular Materials will begin managing blue box programming among local municipalities as of July 17, 2025.
Prince Edward County will begin opening up the Wellington and Sophiasburgh waste sites to receive non-eligible recylcing material on Wednesdays beginning on June 18, 2025.
What does extended producer responsibility (EPR) mean?
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a framework in which producers – the businesses that produce and supply paper and packaging to residents – are responsible for managing the end-of-life management of these materials. EPR enables innovation, operational efficiencies, increased standard levels, and access to materials. It is recognized as one of the most effective mechanisms to improve recycling rates.
What are the advantages of this new framework?
EPR is recognized as one of the most effective mechanisms to 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. EPR creates a financial incentive for producers to reduce packaging and creates larger economies of scale for the collection and processing of recyclables.
Who to Contact
Albert Paschkowiak
Environmental Services and Sustainability Supervisor
Phone:
613.476.2148 ext. 4004