Windsor says blue bin operator ‘silent’ to resident’s concerns

The City of Windsor says it is frustrated with its recycling company, saying it isn’t addressing concerns of residents.

As Windsor residents begin receiving their new, provincially mandated blue recycling bins, city officials say they’re running out of patience with what they describe as a complete lack of communication from the organization responsible for Ontario’s recycling system.

Under the province’s new “producer responsibility” recycling model, municipalities are handing over control of blue box collection to a not-for-profit called Circular Materials. The changes have been in effect in Windsor-Essex since Aug. 28, 2024 and according to Circular Materials’ website, the producer transition is gradually continuing until December of this year.

That group is now responsible for designing, distributing and collecting the new bins.

In Windsor, the change means city hall will no longer manage recycling pickup as of January 1, 2026 — but complaints about the new carts have already started pouring in.

Coun. Angelo Marignani said many of those complaints are coming from seniors and townhouse residents.

“Many of them cannot store this bin. Many of them — the bin’s bigger than them,” he said during Monday’s meeting.

“And what I’m hearing from them is, ‘Listen, I’m just throwing it in the garbage,’ which defeats the purpose of recycling.”

He asked administration to explore whether the collection arm on recycling trucks could be modified to pick up a range of container sizes and to report back to council once options are identified.

City operations director David Simpson said the concerns Windsor residents are expressing are being echoed in communities across Ontario.

“We’re very plugged into a lot of the municipal concerns,” he told council.

“Windsor is not alone. Residents across the province are having the same problems.”

Simpson said the city is drafting a letter of advocacy to Circular Materials outlining residents’ concerns about bin size, accessibility, and storage issues.

“Circular Materials has been largely absent from responding to these concerns,” he said.

“We’ve voiced them verbally many times, and we’re now documenting them formally in writing. At the end of the day, though, they are the ultimate decision-maker on this.”

He added that the letter will be sent by the end of the month and copied to local MPPs and the provincial government.

Mayor Drew Dilkens said the city has been fielding calls from residents confused about the arrival of the new bins and unsure where to turn for answers.

“People are getting the brand-new blue bin, and they’re saying, ‘What’s happening here?’ We’re trying to tell folks that this is a provincial change,” he said.

Dilkens said Circular Materials has been “largely absent” in responding to both residents and municipalities.

“The problem that we’re having — and what every councillor has identified — is that Circular Materials has been largely absent from responding to the concerns and the questions that residents have.”

He said the silence from the not-for-profit is puzzling given the scope of the change.

“I can’t understand how this massive change that’s taking place across our entire province is so void of any response from the provider that’s taking over,” Dilkens said.

“They need to step up and give sensible answers to residents who are just trying to figure out how to participate and deal with their existing materials in a sensible way.”

Dilkens added Windsor remains committed to encouraging recycling to extend the lifespan of the city’s landfill, which would cost between $700 million and $800 million to replace.

“Everyone wants to do the right thing,” he said.

“But we can’t do that effectively if people don’t know how this new system is supposed to work.”