(AGENPARL) – Thu 04 December 2025 City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release
December 4, 2025
Blue Bins no longer City-run: What to expect January 1
The City of Toronto is reminding residents that, effective January 1, 2026, the municipality will no longer manage residential recycling services. This transition is required under provincial legislation and will see a private company take over recycling collection and related services for single-family homes, some multi-residential buildings, schools, long-term care facilities and retirement homes.
Changes to recycling collection services do not apply to commercial customers, City divisions or agencies, charities, institutions or religious organizations.
At a press conference earlier today, Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth), Chair, Infrastructure and Environment Committee (IEC), Deputy Mayor Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence), Vice-Chair, IEC, and Matt Keliher, General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services, confirmed the City is fully prepared for a smooth transition and has a comprehensive communications plan to keep residents informed. To help prepare residents with what they need to know, the City has a variety of educational tactics including advertisements, direct mail, social media initiatives, web content and an enhanced 311 customer service strategy.
What stays the same
There are no impacts on how residents recycle. Blue bins will remain in use, the materials that are recycled will remain the same with a few new additions, and residents should continue following their regular collection schedule provided by the City in early December or check online at toronto.ca/collection-schedule.
The City encourages residents to continue participating in the recycling program regardless of who manages the program, and to participate in the City’s other waste diversion programs such as green bin organics and yard waste collection. The City will also continue to provide garbage collection.
What’s changing
The biggest change to the Blue Box program is the collection provider. Starting January 1, 2026, all requests for residential Blue Box recycling services, including missed collection, bin repair or replacement, must be directed to the new provider, Circular Materials at 1-888-921-2686 or circularmaterials.ca/toronto.
Quotes:
“Recycling is one of the simplest and most effective ways we can fight climate change and protect our environment. Even though the management of the Blue Box program is changing, we still encourage Torontonians to keep doing their part for a sustainable future.”
– Mayor Olivia Chow
“Our priority is making this transition as seamless as possible for residents. We’ve worked closely with the new provider to ensure that recycling routines stay the same and that residents know who to contact for services requests.”
– Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee
“Toronto remains committed to waste diversion through the programs we continue to be responsible for like Green Bin organics, yard collection and recycling in public areas. These services are essential to keeping our city clean and sustainable. I also want to thank the dedicated City staff who have worked tirelessly over the past few years to manage the transition to blue bin collection by industry, as smooth for residents as possible.”
– Deputy Mayor Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence), Vice-Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee