Whether you live in Peterborough County all year-round or have a cottage there, making sure you recycle properly is as important as ever.
You may have heard that, beginning this year, the Ontario government shifted operational and financial responsibility for the blue box program from municipalities to the producers that supply packaging and paper to consumers.
While this change means the companies that manufacture the products we use now have an incentive to ensure their products and packaging are easier to recycle, consumers still need to do their part when it comes to what and how they recycle.
“We want to remind residents that although who is responsible for recycling has changed, recycling has not,” says Selwyn Township’s Sustainability Coordinator Lily Morrow. “The way we recycle — the guidelines and how we sort — is really important. It conserves our natural resources and helps to keep that waste out of the landfill.”
What also hasn’t changed is that Emterra Environmental continues to collect recycling for year-round and seasonal residents of Peterborough County who have curbside collection.
As in the past, residents are asked to have their recycling out for pickup by 7 a.m. on their designated collection day.
However, because the County is no longer involved in managing the blue box program, all recycling inquiries — whether about recycling, missed collections, or how to get a new blue box — now go directly to Emterra at 1-888-597-1541.
The rules around recycling haven’t changed either, adds Morrow, including what items can be recycled and how they are sorted.
“There really is no change for residents at the curbside,” Morrow says. “Sorting is exactly the same.”
PDF: Recycle More, Use Less!
Recycle More, Use Less!
One blue box is for containers, including plastic bottles and tubs, metal cans and tins, glass bottles and jars, and cartons and coffee cups (but not coffee cup lids, which need to go in the garbage).
Another blue box is for paper products and plastic bags, including cardboard boxes, newspapers, magazines, and office paper, shredded paper (in a plastic bag), plastic bags, egg cartons, and paper bags and paper tubes (including from paper towels and toilet paper).
Keep recycling loose in blue boxes by using as many blue boxes as you need. Don’t put recycling in bags, as it won’t be collected. Cardboard boxes should be flattened, and all containers (including food and beverage cartons) should be empty and rinsed to avoid contamination.
Everything that can’t go in a blue box goes into the garbage instead, including Styrofoam, diapers, coffee cup lids, plastic straws, plastic cutlery, hangers, chip bags, candy wrappers, food and beverage pouches, broken glass (wrapped in paper), dishware, and pet waste bags.
“We need to make sure we are sorting and separating our waste appropriately to reduce contamination in the recycling stream and make sure what is recyclable isn’t going into the garbage,” Morrow explains.
For more information about blue box recycling in Peterborough County, including frequently asked questions, visit ptbocounty.ca/en/living/blue-box-recycling.aspx.
PDF: A detailed guide to sorting recycling and garbage
A detailed guide to sorting recycling and garbage
As for the shift to producer responsibility for recycling, Morrow believes this will ultimately improve recycling in Peterborough County and across Ontario.
“Prior to this, each municipality probably had different rules about recycling — what could and could not be recycled,” she says.
“The hope is that with a common collection system in Ontario, blue box collection will improve over time. Maybe more materials could be accepted into that system, because we’re all working on one common system.”
VIDEO: “What happens to my recycling?” – Circular Materials Ontario
Morrow is hopeful that both year-round and seasonal residents of Peterborough County will continue to do their part to keep recyclable and organic material from going into the landfill.
“There’s definitely an appetite for environmental action,” she says. “People are becoming more environmentally minded. That’s indicative of people recycling and composting more than they used to.”
Peterborough County’s recycling campaign is supported by the Township of Selwyn, the Township of North Kawartha, the Township of Douro-Dummer, the Municipality of Trent Lakes, the Township of Otonabee-South Monaghan, and the Township of Asphodel-Norwood.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with Peterborough County. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
