The Orangeville Food Bank have had to start to pay for its own recycling pickup because of recent changes to Ontario’s Blue Box program. Under provincial Regulation O. Reg. 391/21, the Blue Box will transition to a producer responsibility model that came into full effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
The new system, administered locally by the Producer Responsibility Organization Circular Materials, shifts financial and operational responsibility for recycling to companies that produce packaging. Under the regulation, free curbside collection will be limited to eligible sources — principally single-family residences, eligible multi-unit residential buildings, schools, and specified long-term care and retirement homes — and generally excludes most charities, places of worship and businesses.
Dufferin County Waste Services previously operated the county’s Blue Box program. As the transition proceeded, producers and their PRO will assume responsibility for service delivery. Municipalities may choose to pay producers or contractors to continue collecting recyclables from ineligible sites, but that would be a municipal expense.
Heather Hayes, executive director of the Orangeville Food Bank, has warned that the food bank is facing record demand and is seeking additional municipal support. Hayes has asked local government for emergency funding and has advocated for roughly $25,000–$50,000 in increased support; Town of Orangeville council approved a $25,000 grant to the food bank in 2023. The added cost of hiring a private contractor to remove cardboard and other recyclable packaging could reduce funds available for food and client services.
Advocates and analysts say the new rules are creating difficulties for many charities and non-profits across the province. Some municipalities elsewhere (for example, Owen Sound) have elected to use municipal funds to maintain recycling pickup for non-residential sites that the provincial regulation leaves out.
Residents in Dufferin County will be asked to choose new bin sizes as part of the transition; the rollout is scheduled to be complete on Jan. 1, 2026. Local officials and charities say they are still working through how to cover any gaps for donation-reliant organizations such as food banks.
