Incoming changes to Hamilton’s Blue Box program

Hamilton residents can expect changes to the city’s Blue Box program beginning next month.

Starting April 1, Hamilton’s residential Blue Box program will be operated by Circular Materials as part of a new initiative.

The change comes as part of a plan to shift the responsibility of recycling operations and costs to paper and packaging producers.

Residents of Hamilton should be aware of the following:

There are no curbside program changes:

• Recycling collection schedules and accepted materials will remain the same from April 1 to Dec. 31.
• GFL Environmental will continue to collect recycling.

Keep using your blue boxes:

• Recycling will continue to be collected in two streams. One blue box for containers and one blue box for papers.
• Hamilton residents do not need a new blue box unless theirs is lost or damaged.
• Residents can continue to use clear or translucent blue plastic bags for recycling.

New or additional blue boxes can be purchased from a retail store, such as major hardware stores, home improvement stores and some grocery stores.

Blue boxes will no longer be available at community recycling centers, municipal service centers or Hamilton City Hall.

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As of April 1, the following changes will come to community recycling centres and transfer stations:

• Residents will no longer be able to drop off bulky rigid plastic. They will need to be disposed of as garbage or by scheduling a bulk pick up.
• Commercial customers will no longer be able to drop off cardboard.

The City of Hamilton will continue to collect garbage, bulk garbage, green bins and yard waste.

There are also updates coming for multi-residential and non-residential properties receiving City Blue Box collection:

• Starting April 1, owners and property managers of multi-residential buildings must request educational materials from Circular Materials by emailing communications@circularmaterials.ca for posters, guides, and instructions to help residents property sort recycling.
• Between April 1 and Dec. 31, the city will continue collecting recyclables from commercial properties, municipal buildings, daycares, and places of worship.

GFL Environmental can also be contacted at hamiltonrecycling@gflenv.com or 1-844-415-4351 to report missed recycling collection, to request a replacement for a broken blue box and for any recycling related inquiries.

For more information and updates about changes to the Blue Box programs visit www.hamilton.ca/blueboxtransition.

Information about Circular Materials can be found at www.circularmaterials.ca/hamilton.

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