Niagara small businesses brace for new recycling rules under blue box changes

Small businesses in the Niagara region are bracing for changes coming to the province’s blue box program.

Beginning Jan.1, commercial businesses, municipal facilities and daycares are among those who will be responsible for managing their own recyclables, whether it’s through private waste management contractors or making trips to recycling depots themselves.

Gregor Sayliss, restaurant owner of Wandering Spirits in St. Catharines, says the move adds “a bigger wrench and a bigger curveball.”

“We would have to do a minimum of one, maybe two rounds every day,” Sayliss said. “With all costs everywhere going up — this business has slim margins as it is.”

Sayliss says the city streets already have a tough time staying clean.

“So eliminating that makes absolutely no sense,” he said.

Jennifer McKenna, co-owner of Little Chief and Co. in St. Catharines, said recycling has been part of public practice for so long.

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“It has been engrained in our minds for so long,” McKenna said. “The benefits of recycling, how it helps the environment, how it helps the economy — where did it go wrong?”

St. Catharines Downtown Association says small businesses are increasingly frustrated by the lack of clarity from the municipality.

Officials in the Niagara Region say they have received feedback from community members — but that there’s only so much they can do.

Dave Yousif, acting director of Waste Management Services Niagara Region, said this is a provincial issue that impacts every other municipality.

“We’re working with them and waste management industry associations as well,” said Yousif.

“So we’re bringing these issues to the government in the hopes of identifying a long-term solution.”

As for household recycling, residential curbside pick-up is not affected.

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In a statement to CHCH News, Circular Materials CEO Allen Langdon says his company is a national, not-for-profit organization that will be responsible for operating Ontario’s new recycling system for packaging and paper products.

“Ontario is moving to an EPR framework for residential recycling that is 100 per cent funded and operated by producers of packaging and paper products, taking the costs of and operational responsibility for residential blue box recycling away from taxpayers and municipalities.” the statement reads. “This means that residents will no longer be paying for recycling services as this cost will be borne by producers.”

The statement goes on to say that Circular Materials will introduce a unified material list, including new materials for Ontario effective on Jan. 1.

“Ontario residents will be able to recycle the same and even more materials no matter where they live across Ontario,” the statement reads.

New materials will include hot and cold beverage cups (coffee cups), deodorant and toothpaste tubes, ice cream tubs, back plastic containers and frozen juice containers.

The complete list of materials is available here.

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