Recycling pickup in Ottawa has gone through a lot of changes since the city handed the service over to a private operator this year. Now, there are more changes coming. For Barrhaven resident Glenn Schumacher, garbage day has become an expensive frustration after he recently had to replace a second garbage bin when collectors broke it. He says he had to pay $149 to replace it himself. “They throw the garbage bins. They broke two of ours,” Schumacher said. When it comes to broken recycling bins, Circular Materials, the organization overseeing Ontario’s blue box system, originally stated that residents must pick up their own replacement bins. Now, they will be delivered. “Replacement recycling bins will now be delivered, in exchange for the old and broken bin at the curb,” said Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo. “I believe this is a positive change this time because it basically brings us back to the procedure when recycling was the municipal service.” In a statement, Circular Materials CEO Allen Langdon said, “Ottawa residents with a broken or damaged blue box are asked to contact their local collection service provider, Miller Waste Systems, to arrange a curbside exchange. Replacement blue boxes are provided to residents based on need. There will be no additional cost for the replacement of a broken or damaged recycling container.” Residents say they are happy with the change. “In the past, when the city was the ones that broke it, we put in a ticket and they did bring a new one,” said Barrhaven resident Michael Rattray. “Assuming obviously if they’re the ones that break it, you’d assume they’re the ones that are going to replace it.” Circular Materials also confirmed that once the stock of old black bins runs out, all recycling bins in Ottawa will exclusively be blue, regardless of what materials are put out that week. “It’s always nice having the convenience to differentiate between black and blue,” said Barrhaven resident Chris Delaney. “But at the end of the day, it’s no big deal, I guess.” Delaney says he is pleased with the service overall. “I think they do a good job overall. Collections are always pretty timely. No complaints,” he said. Starting March 30, garbage and recycling pickup days may be changing for some Ottawa residents. Residents can check their collection calendar on the City of Ottawa website.
