New provincial recycling program is coming in January

City of Vaughan will no longer manage blue box collection

Starting on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, residential blue box programs across the province are moving to a new collection system operated by Circular Materials Ontario, a non-profit organization appointed by the Province of Ontario.

This means the City of Vaughan will no longer be responsible for collecting your blue box materials or managing the purchase and/or replacement of City-issued blue bins.  

The City is committed to supporting a smooth transition of the blue box program for all residents. Updates will be shared as they become available from Circular Materials Ontario.

In the meantime, here are answers to questions you may have about this change:

What changes will I see?

In 2025, it’s status quo – there are no changes to your collection schedule or the materials you can recycle this year. Beginning Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, Circular Materials Ontario may make changes to the materials accepted in their new blue box collection program. These details are yet to be confirmed. At this time, it is anticipated that your collection schedule will remain the same.

Who will be responsible for garbage and green bin collection?

The City will continue to collect garbage, green bin organics, large and bulky items, and leaf and yard waste, including real Christmas trees.

Will property taxes change when the City no longer collects blue box recycling?

The transition to the new provincial blue box collection program will not affect municipal property taxes. Producers of recyclable materials will assume financial and operational responsibility of the new blue box program. The City currently receives a grant funded by the producers of recyclable materials to support the municipal blue box collection program.

Vaughan maintains one of the lowest tax rates in York Region and one of the lowest and most competitive tax rates in the Greater Toronto Area.

Will I still be able to purchase or exchange a City-issued blue box?

No. Starting Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, the City of Vaughan will no longer sell new blue boxes or exchange broken or damaged City-issued blue boxes. You can still purchase new blue boxes or exchange broken City-issued blue boxes through Service Vaughan until Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. Visit our Where to Purchase Containers, Bins and Tags webpage for more information. Starting in 2026, blue boxes will be available for purchase through Circular Materials Ontario. The City will share details as more information becomes available.

The City will continue to sell new green bins and kitchen containers online through Service Vaughan or at select community centres. The City will also continue to offer a free exchange of broken or damaged City-issued green bins.

Why is this change happening?

The Province of Ontario introduced a new Provincial Regulation 391/21 under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, which shifts the financial and operational responsibility of residential blue box collection programs from municipalities to producers of recyclable materials (i.e. suppliers of paper products or packaging-like products comprised of paper, glass, metal or plastic). This means the businesses that sell products and packaging will be responsible for them over their full life cycle – including collecting, sorting and recycling blue box materials – with Circular Materials Ontario overseeing the transition.

Through this new recycling system, the Province aims to provide consistent service throughout Ontario and allow more materials to be recycled in more communities.

Learn more about the blue box program transition in Ontario.

To stay up to date on the blue box program transition, visit vaughan.ca/BlueBox.

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