Changes to blue box / recycling collection

In 2026, as part of the new Blue Box Regulation in Ontario, municipalities will no longer be responsible for the collecting and managing recyclable materials such as paper products, containers, and product packaging used in the sale of retail products.

This will instead be managed by producers, importers and large retailers who are responsible for packaging and producing this type of waste.

In Oxford County, this change takes effect beginning January 1, 2026.

After this time, residents who currently receive curbside collection for recycling will continue to receive this service under the new Producer Responsibility model. More is on the Oxford County website.

The traditional blue box (recycling) program has been very successful in diverting these materials from landfills and reusing these materials to make new products.

However, municipalities have faced challenges managing these blue box materials, particularly in recent years due to fluctuating market demand for recycled materials and the increasing amount of material types and grades of plastic and other packaging products that are introduced without a viable end market for reusing them.

Given this upcoming change, the survey and information we are sharing at the moment does not include recycling.