Recycling fight ends
More items can now be tossed into our recycling bins
The long-running battle over control of residential recycling in Ontario is finally over and we can enjoy the spoils of victory, such as they are.
The oddest thing about this fight is that we, as a province, were fighting to give the job to private businesses and they were defending themselves with high-level lobbying in an effort to force municipalities keep the job. The government won but watered down original plans to keep the companies happy.
As of January 1, recycling is now the responsibility of Circular Materials Ontario, the nondescript name for a nonprofit group run by companies that are creators of packaging that needs to be recycled.
The biggest change for you and me is that we will be able to throw more stuff into our recycling bins. There’s no real guarantee these items will actually be recycled since, for example, no one really has identified a demand for old deodorant bars.
But you can now toss these items into the bins:
Styrofoam
Chip bags
Wrappers, like chocolate bars
Pet food bags
Bubble wrap
Food pouches
Takeout cup lids
Toothpaste tubes
And deodorant sticks
You can get more information about Circular Materials on their website. A full list of what can be recycled is here. The organization’s page for Northumberland County is here.
If you have problems with missed pickups or need new bins you can contact Miller Waste, the contractor that handles recycling in Northumberland County at 888.852.4723 or area8@millerwaste.ca
As I wrote in late November, the county will spend about $460,000 and continue to pick up recycling from small businesses, libraries and daycares. Those groups have always been included in the municipal recycling program, but the new provincial regulations pushed through by the Ford government left them out.
Northumberland County actually transferred control to Circular Materials Ontario at the end of 2023 but contracted with the organization that the county would keep responsibility for pickup until the end of 2025. It then sub-contracted with Miller Waste for the actual service.
Kate Campbell, Director of Communications, said that with the transfer the county saves about $2.5 million to $3 million annually, which reduces its overall operational costs.
Some parts of the province, such as Toronto, have reported challenges with the transition to private control, but here in Northumberland things have been seamless since we made the change two years ago.
I first heard of extender producer responsibility more than 20 years ago when I was communications manager for Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky. At that point it was just a concept that the new Liberal government hoped to put into place.
The thinking was that if companies that produce packaging had to recycle it they would reduce the amount produced, which was the real goal.
Finally, in 2016 Kathleen Wynne’s government passed regulations to make that happen. It’s taken 10 years for the Ford government to massage and rewrite those regulations and bring them into action.
Meanwhile, a CBC story highlights a major problem with the way the same system is handling used tires. The province has reduced the percentage of tires sold that producers must recycle and now hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario. Some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires and companies that pick up used tires have been forced to lay off staff.
Companies are somehow allowed to incinerate tires or send them to dumps in the U.S. and count them as recycled. Not surprisingly, no one from the government would explain that to the CBC.
Adam Moffatt, executive director of the Ontario Tire Dealers Association, said some sites have more than 500,000 tires stockpiled, creating major fire hazards.
Flu season hits hard
Influenza and Covid are hitting long-term care homes and hospitals throughout our area.
Campbellford Memorial Hospital is restricting visitors to inpatients and requiring masks as it struggles to cope with the “increased respiratory illness activity within the hospital and throughout the community,” a news release says.
“These temporary precautions are intended to reduce the risk of transmission and protect the health and safety of our patients,” said Heather Campbell, VP Patient Care & Chief Nursing Executive. “We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of our patients, their families, and the community during this time.”
The hospital is also warning that its emergency department has been extremely busy and waits times are longer than usual.
In addition, Lakelands Public Health has declared community outbreaks for Influenza A at the Hillside Haven Retirement Home in Campbellford and the east wing of Warkworth Place in Warkworth.
You can read all Trent Hills News stories on my website here.