Blue Box Recycling Program

New items you can now add to your Blue Box:

• Empty Aerosol & Metal Paint Cans - (lids and caps removed) (all containers are to be emptied and rinsed).
• All Plastics #1 through to #7 rigid plastic bottles and containers - all containers are to be emptied and rinsed. (note: no containers that once contained a hazardous material, such as motor oil, brake or  transmission fluid are accepted).
• Metal Containers, aluminum foil, trays and plates -
• Beverage cartons and boxes - Milk and Juice cartons and juice boxes (rinsed, caps removed).

King Township encourages its residents to reduce, reuse, rethink and then recycle. Please assist by buying products with less packaging, sharing magazine subscriptions with others, donating items you no longer have a use for, bringing your own bags to the store and attempting to purchase items or products in containers that can be recycled.

Remember to purchase products only in recyclable containers that are accepted in the Township's Blue Box Program.

King Township thanks you for emptying and rinsing your glass, food and drink cans, and Plastic #1 PET through to #7 HDPE containers before placing them in your recycling box. Let's all work together to keep the Township safe and attractive! Remember to empty liquid contents from all containers - recyclable or not.

Non-recyclable material:

• masks and disposable gloves
• polystyrene foam
• foam plastic egg cartons
• take-out food containers

Plastic bags are not an approved collection container for recyclables.

Starting Dec. 31, 2025, Circular Materials will fully manage Ontario’s Blue Box program and any program changes will be made at their discretion. The same materials will be collected as part of the new program. Collection will move from every week to every two weeks. This change aims to bring King into alignment with other municipalities, reduce the carbon footprint from collection trucks, enable more effective resource management and encourage mindful recycling habits. It also improves waste management efficiency and sustainability.

Yes, the Township of King will continue to provide curbside collection of garbage and organic waste (green bin) to areas that currently receive these services. The collection schedule for these items will remain the same.

As of Jan. 1, 2026, the Township of King’s contractor will no longer collect blue box recycling from the following:

• Industrial, commercial and institutional properties
• Daycares
• Places of worship
• Non-profit or charitable organizations and shelters
• Post-secondary institutions (both public and private)
• Municipal facilities and community centres (e.g., libraries, arenas)

Blue Box collection for the above will be transferred to Circular Materials Ontario. The shift will focus on sustainability and waste reduction, and will impact blue box collection services for industrial, commercial and institutional properties.

The Township is actively updating the website as further information is provided to us by Circular Materials.

As of Jan. 1, 2026, the onus is on the owner of the ineligible location as noted in the list above to set up and cover costs for their own recycling systems by self-hauling recycling to a waste drop-off or obtaining private collection.

The Township of King is required to transition to the new Provincial Blue Box regulatory framework on Jan. 1, 2026 to comply with O.Reg. 391/21 This new regulation is being implemented throughout Ontario in two phases:

In June 2021, the provincial Blue Box Regulation was finalized to make the producers of recycling materials responsible for their materials, specifically related to recycling costs, to reduce recyclable materials currently going to landfill and enable a common collection blue box program throughout Ontario. 

Circular Materials is a national not-for-profit organization that helps producers meet their obligations under extended producer responsibility regulations, like Ontario’s Blue Box Regulation. They are working with producer partners to ensure Ontario’s recycling system is efficient and effective, making sure materials are reused again and again. More information on Circular Materials is available at circularmaterials.ca.

Each household will receive one large, 240 litre wheeled tote in the fall of 2025. Residents can place overflow recyclables beside this tote in recycling bags for the first few months after the transition and can order an additional tote at their expense. Damaged totes will be replaced free of cost to residents.  Materials placed in old blue bins will not be collected.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a system where producers of blue box materials such as Coca-Cola, Amazon, Walmart, etc., are responsible for the entire lifecycle of material they produce. Currently, municipalities cover half of the cost of collection and processing of recyclable materials. Under EPR, producers are logistically and financially accountable for their product packaging from production to disposal, helping to reduce waste and promote recycling.

Historically, Ontario’s blue box programs were managed by municipalities, which covered approximately half of the program costs, while producers accounted for the other half. However, under the new Blue Box Regulation, Ontario is shifting to an Extended Producer Responsibility model. In this model, producers – those organizations responsible for the products and packaging placed in the blue box – will assume full responsibility for both operating and funding the program. This transition aims to reduce overall waste, divert materials from landfills and lessen environmental impacts.

Extended Producer Responsibility is recognized as one of the most effective mechanisms to improve recycling rates and advance a circular economy where materials are collected, recycled and returned to producers for use as recycled content in new products and packaging.

The goal is to make producers (e.g., Amazon, Walmart, Nestle, Coca Cola, etc.) responsible and accountable for managing the waste they create and incentivize them to generate less waste and to make materials easier to recycle.

Residential customers will still be able to put the same materials in their recycling containers. However, the frequency of collection will change from weekly to once every two weeks to align with all other Ontario municipalities under the new program.