The Ford government’s proposed overhaul of Ontario’s blue box recycling program is drawing criticism from municipalities, waste experts, and industry players who warn the changes could gut waste diversion efforts and leave municipalities hanging with the bill.
At the heart of the controversy are new regulatory amendments, currently open for public comment until July 4, that would delay recycling targets by five years and reduce the obligations of private companies now taking over the blue bin system from municipalities.
The changes are part of Ontario’s broader transition to an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model, a system that shifts the cost and operational burden of recycling away from municipalities and onto the companies that generate packaging waste.