Changes coming to blue box recycling program in Mississauga

 

The Region of Peel, which consists of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, has moved one step closer to its goal of 75 per cent waste diversion.

According to a release from the Region of Peel, the Ontario government implemented a proposal to change the blue box recycling program.

The proposal includes increasing the items that can be recycled and making producers of products and packaging fully responsible for managing the full lifecycle of their products.

“A plan that allows residents to put more items in their recycling and that makes collection consistent across the province is a step in the right direction that will result in less garbage being sent to landfill,” says Norman Lee, the Region’s Director of Waste Management.

The proposed changes to the program include standardizing and increasing the list of materials accepted in the blue box to include paper and plastic cups, wraps, foils, trays, and bags as well as other single-use items such as stir sticks, straws, cutlery and plates.

It also includes making producers operationally and financially responsible for the management of their blue box recyclables.

The plan will transition the costs of the program away from municipal taxpayers to producers and will encourage innovation such as better product design and the use of new recycling technologies and processes for better environmental outcomes.