Editor’s note: The following does not affect residents in the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia, which each handle their own waste management.
The County of Simcoe has officially approved a staff recommendation to discontinue curbside collection of recycling services to industrial, commercial and institutional (IC&I) properties.
Beginning on Jan. 1, 2026, ineligible sources — which means producers not responsible for collection as of that date — include businesses, places of worship, daycares, campgrounds, public-facing and internal areas of municipally owned buildings, and not-for-profit organizations, such as shelters and food banks.
Councillors discussed the issue in depth at their Feb. 14 committee of the whole meeting, where they approved it in principle however the item was officially ratified during Tuesday’s council meeting. There was no discussion on the topic.
“As we’ve been sharing with our residents over the past year, the provincial government has moved to make producers of recyclable products … fully responsible for the costs associated with the life cycle of recyclable products,” Warden Basil Clarke said in a news release, noting that includes costs associated with collection, hauling, processing and marketing.
The county will continue to collect garbage and organics long-term, and run landfill programs, although fees will be required for recycling drop-off at all county-run sites beginning in 2026.
“If producers bear the full costs it will hopefully lead to a reduction in the amount of packaging, plastics and cardboard that we encounter each day,” said Clarke.
While Clarke noted council commends the provincial government for its actions, they have seen gaps in the program that will potentially leave many of small local businesses, non-profit organizations and the IC&I sector, without "convenient recycling options" as of Jan. 1, 2026.
“The county currently collects curbside recycling from these types of business, non-profit or IC&I locations, such as family-owned businesses in our downtown cores," the warden said. "Through the legislation, we are not regulated nor mandated to collect any form of waste from the business sector, just residential units.
"However, this is a 'value-added' service that council felt was important for our communities and to support local small businesses and downtown cores,” Clarke said.
As of Jan. 1, 2026, the consortium representing recycling producers is not planning to collect recycling from business locations as it is not a requirement stipulated through the Provincial Blue Box Regulation 391/21.
In addition to the negative impact this could have on local businesses, the county says this has the potential to also have a negative impact on diversion and ultimately the environment.
The costs of continuing to provide the service at the county level have been evaluated; however under the new regulations the burden of the costs on local taxpayers would be too significant, among other logistical challenges once the new program takes effect, explained Clarke.
“While it is important to emphasize that there is no impact until 2026, we continue to work with our partners at the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks to ensure they are aware of this potential issue, and we are hopeful they will reconsider this decision and continue to provide our businesses with recycling collection long-term,” he said.
“We will do what we can to support our businesses and will be connecting with BIAs, chambers and other business organizations over the coming weeks," Clarke added.
For more information on the 2026 Provincial recycling change, as well as the County of Simcoe's suggested amendments to the provincial legislation click here.
