Ontario’s overhaul of its Blue Box program is about to reshape how many Owen Sound properties handle recycling, and the City is urging businesses to prepare now.
A new producer-led system, launching January 1, 2026, will shift responsibility for recycling collection and processing away from municipalities and onto the companies that create packaging and paper products.
While households will see no change to their curbside pickup, many non-residential locations currently receiving municipal service will lose access under the provincial rules. Businesses, commercial properties and community organizations are not included in the producer-funded model, leaving them responsible for arranging their own service.
To ease the transition, Owen Sound City Council has approved a temporary extension of municipal curbside recycling collection for affected properties until March 31, 2026. The City says the additional three months are meant to give organizations time to compare private service options, review pricing and ensure they can continue recycling without interruption.
The shift stems from Ontario’s Extended Producer Responsibility system under the Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 391/21). The City notes that, under this framework, “producers—not municipalities—are responsible for collecting and processing packaging materials, paper, and packaging-like products.” Because business properties are excluded from the provincial program, the City would need to build an entirely separate recycling service if it wanted to continue offering curbside pickup. That effort, according to staff, would require creating “a brand-new City-funded or City-managed recycling program,” hiring additional personnel and taking on “significant new costs to the community.”
Municipal officials say they are continuing to lobby the province and industry partners for a solution that would keep curbside recycling available for local businesses and charitable organizations. In the meantime, the City is advising affected properties to make arrangements with private haulers in the event an alternative is not secured.
Owen Sound will continue to publish updates on its website as details about the provincial transition become available.
