The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is getting out of the recycling business.
By a vote of 16-0 Monday night, Council approved discontinuing the collection of recycling at industrial or commercial properties, not-for-profit organizations, municipal buildings or facilities, day cares, places of worship, campgrounds and trailer-parks without permanent or seasonal households, and commercial farms effective January 1, 2024.
The province will be assuming curbside household recycling collection saving the municipality $3.5 million over the next four years.
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Previous story below from October 14, 2023:
Time is ticking for some institutions across Chatham-Kent to find a private contractor to collect their Blue Box materials because the municipality wants to opt out of recycling.
Chatham-Kent Council will vote on a staff recommendation to discontinue servicing ineligible sources, such as industrial or commercial properties, not-for-profit organizations, municipal buildings or facilities, day cares, places of worship, campgrounds and trailer-parks without permanent or seasonal households, and commercial farms effective January 1, 2024.
If the recommendation is approved Monday night, ineligible property owners would bear the full cost and responsibility of arranging for their Blue Box material collection.
The municipality anticipates saving $500,000 by opting out of Blue Box collection at ineligible properties.
Each ineligible address would be notified of the change in service if the recommendation is passed and would get a list of service providers.
The municipality said residential curbside collection would not be affected and would continue without any interruption in service by a new provincial contractor.
Ontario is set to start a new standardized Blue Box Program across the province in January 2026 and Chatham-Kent is one of 126 communities transitioning to this new model until December 2025.
Municipal staff warn that an average of 152 metric tonnes of Blue Box materials would be added to the land filled waste stream every year if private collection is not arranged for existing ineligible participants, adding $8,900 in disposal fees every year.
A staff report acknowledges the participation of ineligible sources in the municipal curbside Blue Box collection program is exceptionally low, representing only 1.4 per cent of all curbside stops. The estimated annual tonnage generated from these ineligible sources is also exceptionally low, representing less than 5 per cent of all municipally collected Blue Box materials, according to administration.
"Acknowledging this decision is difficult and does not promote waste diversion. Ontario municipal staff and industry support groups have expressed concern and criticism of excluding ICI [industrial, commercial, institutional] Blue Box materials from the EPR [provincial] model. Chatham-Kent’s administration is committed to advocating the province to develop a practical solution for ICI sectors’ materials, where possible, either directly or through industry organizations," wrote CK's Manager of Waste Management Huda Oda in her report to Council.