Blue box program: additional materials can be recycled in Ottawa

CTV’s Kimberley Fowler shares what Ottawa residents need to know about the new recycling changes that are now in effect.

The list of items that can be recycled in Ottawa got longer last week, as new rules for the blue box program came into effect across Ontario on New Year’s Day.

As on Jan. 1, municipalities across the province are no longer responsible for collecting blue boxes. Instead, paper and packaging producers will be responsible for collecting and processing recyclable materials.

• Here’s what you need to know about changes to blue and black bin recycling in Ottawa on Jan. 1, 2026

Circular Materials, a non-profit, is responsible for the blue box program across Ontario, and its CEO says the new province-wide changes will allow more materials to be recycled and reduce the economic burden on municipalities.

“We estimate that under this new system, Ontario municipalities are collectively saving over $200 million in costs,” Allen Langdon told 580 CFRA’s Ottawa at Work with Patricia Boal on Monday.

Langdon says residents previously paid for these services through utility rates and property taxes.

Newly recyclable materials

“There will be one province-wide material list and that material list will include a range of new materials,” Langdon said.

Among the new materials that can now be recycled are hot and cold beverage containers, ice cream tubs, deodorant and toothpaste tubes, frozen juice containers and black plastic containers.

Also included are flexible plastic packaging such as chip bags, bubble wrap and plastic bags, and foam packaging like meat trays and takeout containers.

A full list of recyclable materials can be found on the Circular Materials website.

Some of the items, like black plastics, have been included on the list due to advancements in recycling technologies, Langdon says.

“There are advances in sorting technology that now allow us to sort that material, which was always generally made out of recyclable plastic it was just hard for some of the optical sorters to be able to pick up the black on the black conveyor belt,” Langdon said. “We’ve managed to address that issue.”

Other materials, like toothpaste and deodorant tubes, are being included due to changes in packaging practices.

“They used to be made out of things like multi-laminated plastic, but producers over the last five, six years, have transitioned to more of a single type of plastic,” Langdon said. “Because of that, we’re able to include those in recycling,”

What can’t be recycled?

Langdon says most plastic and paper packaging can be put in recycling bins.

Items like books, clothes, ceramics and pots and pans are not recyclable, and Langdon says they can instead be taken to donation centres or other drop-off locations.

Hazardous materials like batteries and sharp objects should not be recycled as they pose a significant safety risk to workers, facilities and the environment, Langdon said.

“It’s really important for those items, that people safely recycle them at a designated drop off locations,” he said.

What else will change?

Ottawa residents will be able to use the same blue bins as before, and collection schedules will remain the same.

The collection calendar for recycling, garbage and compost can be viewed on the City of Ottawa’s website.

The City of Ottawa still advises residents to put their bins curbside by 7 a.m. on collection day, though collection may occur at a different time of day than usual.

Miller Waste is the contractor responsible for recycling across Ottawa.

For questions related to recycling bins, missed collections and what materials can be recycled, Miller Waste at contact 1-888-852-2374 or [e-mail].

For other recycling related questions or concerns, residents can also contact Circular Materials at [e-mail] or 1-877-667-2626.

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