Residents, mayors frustrated with lack of answers on York Region’s new recycling system

Mayors in York Region are not mincing words when it comes to recycling their frustration.

Residents in York Region are not mincing words when it comes to recycling their frustration.

One local said the size of the new system feels overwhelming. “I think it’s big for me, you know, there’s just two people at home,” he said.

The size of the new units worries some who say the wheeled bins may be too difficult to maneuver or, in some cases, too large to store.

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor says there are many concerns. He and several other York Region mayors say they’re frustrated by what they describe as limited information about the new program. They’d like residents to have more options than just the large bins.

“It should be anybody who requests a different-sized bin should get a different-sized bin,” Taylor said. “There will be many people, including my 90-year-old parents, who shouldn’t have to wrestle with a 95-gallon bin. But most importantly, the largest category is people without space, people with walk-up apartments above store fronts, for example, or people with a single-car garage with only inches to spare on either side.”

Taylor also says he is unhappy recycling pickup will drop to once every two weeks, down from the current weekly service.

The mayor of Georgina shares many of the same concerns.

“We learned yesterday (Monday) that they bought the big bins at the end of last year,” said Mayor Margaret Quirk. “They didn’t tell our staff until August 24 of this year that it was going to be bi-weekly collection and that it would involve the big bin cart.”

Circular Materials, the company responsible for collection starting in the new year, says there will be no change in what residents can recycle. In fact, the company says people will now be able to recycle more. As for whether smaller bins might be offered, the answer is still unclear.

Markham, Richmond Hill, and Vaughan will keep the smaller recycling boxes, while the northern six York Region communities will shift to the larger containers.

“We’re evaluating options right now, and we appreciate communities’ patience while we work toward identifying a solution that meets residents’ needs,” said Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials.

The new pickup program is set to take effect in the new year. Both mayors say they are still waiting for more detailed information and hope to receive final answers before the system rolls out.