Coffee cups are in, beer cans are out.
According to a report by City Supervisor of Waste Operations Emily Skelding, Circular Materials will be responsible for managing Stratford’s curbside residential BlueBox collection program starting Jan. 1.
Skelding said the new program will bring notable changes for Stratford residents.
“We are going to be moving to Blue wheelie carts, and they’ll be delivered to residents in November this year, but not to get used until January,” said Skelding.
“We are going to continue the bi-weekly collection schedule, but the producers are going to start collecting their carts starting at 7 a.m.”
Circular Materials is an organization focused on taking collected and recycled materials and using them as recycled content in new products and packaging.
According to the company website, the program is changing because local communities were responsible for paying half of the cost, producers the other half.
She said the Ontario government and producers will provide a unified list of recycling materials. There will be an increase in recyclable items in the city.
These include coffee cups and cartons, but no alcoholic beverage containers will be accepted.
Skelding said before this change, the city was paying over $600,000 a year for recycling, including the collection and processing of the materials.
While the producers will cover that amount, Skelding added that the program doesn’t collect from businesses, municipal buildings, places of worship, and post-secondary institutions.
“So mayor and council decided earlier this year that they’re going to extend those BlueBox services to these stops until October 31, 2026,” said Skelding.
She said city council decided to pay up to $250,000 for those stops from January to October, then they’ll decide whether to continue that service or not.
At their Oct. 14 meeting, city council voted unanimously to enter a three-year contract with Circular Materials for the continued operation of the recycling depot at the city landfill, starting in the new year.
The report said under this agreement, the city would get $2,936 a month/$35,232 annually from Circular Materials.
Skelding said that amount would be for security and staffing for the landfill depot, saving them $60,000 a year.
The Ontario Government made this shift in Blue Box Regulation to give producers the responsibility of operating and funding the program.
This agreement will run from January 2026 to January 2029, with the option of annually renewing the contract for an extra three years.
Staff will review the program’s success after the first three years before considering an extension.
