As of July 1, Thunder Bay residents will begin using recycling carts to place recycling at the curb. Blue bags will no longer be accepted.

Cart delivery to residential household addresses by GFL Environmental Inc. was completed on schedule in May and early June. GFL is responsible for setting up and operating the new recycling cart system.

This change-over to recycling carts comes in conjunction with a province-wide regulatory change that shifts responsibility for municipal recycling programs in Ontario to the producers of paper products and packaging, as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program. As of July 1, the City will no longer be operationally and financially responsible for the residential Blue Box (blue bag) recycling program in the community; Circular Materials, the administrator of the common collection system in Ontario, will begin managing the residential Blue Box recycling program in Thunder Bay.

“This province-wide change in responsibility only affects residential Blue Box recycling services. The City will continue to provide curbside collection of garbage, leaf and yard waste, and the recycling collection at City facilities and parks,” said Jason Sherband, Manager of the City’s Solid Waste & Recycling Services. “We’re proud of the improvements we have made to the residential Blue Box recycling program over recent years, and are pleased to be handing the program over to producers from a place of strength.”

There is no change to collection days, frequency of collection, recycling depots or the list of acceptable recyclable materials.

For more information about changes to residential curbside recycling, visit:  www.circularmaterials.ca/thunderbay. For inquiries regarding recycling cart delivery and curbside recycling after July 1, contact GFL at: 1-844-870-4351 or thunderbayrecycling@gflenv.com.

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Contact:       Jason Sherband, Manager – Solid Waste & Recycling Services, 807-625-3851