Ottawa residents seeing blue; confusion over recycling bin replacements and price tag

Who replaces your blue bin or black bin if it breaks, now that the city doesn’t manage recycling? And you pay? CTV’s Leah Larocque has the answers.

For Rachel Robinson, recycling day in her Ottawa neighbourhood has become a source of frustration rather than routine.

Since the Ontario government took over responsibility for blue box collection, Robinson says it’s been difficult to find clear information about both what belongs in the bin and how residents are supposed to get a new one if theirs breaks or goes missing.

“I can’t actually work out what I can and can’t put in the blue box,” Robinson said. “I’ve emailed, and I’m serious — I consider myself a bit of a green warrior. But it’s confusing.”

Beyond sorting rules, residents are also left with unanswered questions about the bins themselves: Will new or replacement blue bins be delivered to homes? Do residents have to pick them up? And will they have to pay?

Circular Materials, the organization overseeing Ontario’s new blue box system, did not directly answer CTV News’ questions about bin delivery or costs.

In a written statement, the organization said it is working with its service provider Miller Waste “on a standardized process for providing new bins to residents,” adding that bins will be provided “based on demonstrated need for a new or additional bin, such as damage to an existing bin or consistently high volume of material requiring a second bin. We thank residents for their patience as we work to finalize this process and ensure we are meeting their needs.”

Robinson worries the uncertainty could discourage people from recycling altogether.

“It’s not going to help people recycle if they’re not getting free bins,” she said. “People just can’t afford to go out and buy new bins if they break.”

That lack of detail has left residents guessing.

“If I have to drive super far, I might be upset — especially if I have to pay for it,” said Chris Oakes. “Depending on the cost, yeah, that wouldn’t feel great.”

Currently, there are two Miller Waste locations where residents may be directed to pick up bins: one on Bantree Road in the city’s east end, and another on Walgreen Road in Stittsville.

For some, that creates another barrier.

“I’m thinking of people who don’t have cars,” said Olga Milliken. “How are they supposed to carry a bin on public transit and then walk with it? That’s very challenging.”

Some Ottawa city councillors say they’re struggling to get consistent information themselves, making it difficult to properly advise residents.

“When I asked what seemed like a fairly simple question, I actually got four different answers,” said Coun. Wilson Lo. “I was told it was status quo with delivery; then delivery at a cost; then pickup only. The most recent answer seems to be that you have to go pick them up yourself.”

As Ottawa transitions into the province’s new recycling system, residents and city officials alike are calling for clearer communication — and a straightforward, accessible plan for replacing blue bins.

“The communications about bin replacements has been, challenging at best,” says Lo.

For now, many residents say they’ll find their own solutions — even if that means buying a bin at a hardware store — but they hope the confusion is resolved soon.

“It shouldn’t be this hard,” said Robert Gray. “If I have to jump through hoops, I’ll just go buy one. But that’s not how it should work.”

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