Garbage & Recycling

Ontario is shifting the responsibility for the collection of recycled materials to producers instead of municipalities, thanks to the province’s Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) Plan. The change is effective in SDG Counties on Jan. 1, 2025.

This does not mean that Blue Box programming will cease on that date. In fact, the collection and processing of recycled materials will continue – but municipalities will no longer provide the service.

Instead, the Blue Box recycling program for local municipalities in SDG Counties will be managed by Circular Materials. Circular Materials is a not-for-profit organization "committed to building an efficient and effective recycling system in Ontario."

Click here to visit the Circular Materials webpage.

When it comes to your residential pick-up day, and the collection of your residential recycled materials NOTHING CHANGES. Your recycling materials will still be picked up, and removed. The only difference you may notice is that a separate truck will be picking up your recycling material

The IPR changes are being made to create a more efficient and effective recycling system, incentivize producers to use more sustainable packaging and reduce the burden on municipalities to collect and dispose of these recyclables.

Under the IPR Plan, producers will be fully responsible for the management and cost of the residential Blue Box program, including the collection, processing, and marketing of recyclable materials. This is a significant shift from the current system, where municipalities are responsible for most of these tasks.

As part of this change, municipalities had to decide whether they wanted to continue to provide Blue-Box services through a competitive process or hand over the responsibility of collection and processing altogether.  Every municipality in SDG Counties has confirmed that they will ‘opt-out’ and allow private industry to assume this responsibility.

The decision by local municipalities to ‘opt-out’ of the Blue Box program was made after careful consideration of the added responsibility, current costs, challenges, increased risk and the need to support a more sustainable and cost-effective approach to waste management within our region. 

Things are a little different for Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (IC&I) property owners. As of Jan. 1, 2025, the onus will be on IC&I locations to set up and cover costs for their own recycling systems by self-hauling recycling to a waste drop-off or obtaining private collection. These new provisions do not impact residential property owners. IC&I locations include:

• All private sector businesses
• Places of worship
• Daycares
• Campgrounds (without permanent or seasonal households)
• Public facing and internal areas of municipal buildings/facilities (e.g., libraries, arenas)
• Not-for-profit organizations, (e.g., shelters, food-banks)

Waste collection from IC&I locations has never been mandated for municipalities in Ontario. Many municipalities have collected waste from businesses as a value-added service to further support the community.

All municipalities in Ontario, including those in SDG Counties, will no longer be responsible for managing recycling when the transition is complete.

SDG Counties and its local municipalities are working with our partners at the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks and our MPP to ensure they are aware of the potential environmental and service-related concerns that come with collection at IC&I locations.

The Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan commits to moving Ontario’s existing waste diversion programs to a producer responsibility model. This means producers (the companies that design, create and market products and packaging) will be responsible for managing and paying for the full life-cycle of their products to make recycling easier and more accessible across the province.

Click here for details.

Click here to view the South Dundas specific webpage.

• Refuse must be placed at curb side no later than 7:00 am on the day of collection.
• Empty containers must be removed from the curb side no later than 8:30 pm on the day of collection.
• Each resident may place a maximum of two recepticles per week. Any garbage in excess of the two bags must be in an approved bag purchased from the Municipal Office or its authorized sellers.
• Bags not collected must be removed from the curb side by 8:30 pm on the day of collection.
• Garbage bags must be securely tied, maximum width 66 cm (26”) maximum height of 91 cm (36”), and do not exceed 22.5 kg (50 lb). No oversized leaf and yard bags.
• Residents may use a garbage container that is no bigger than 120 litres (31.7 gallons). No 45-gallon drums or tote carts.
• Households may only place one container (can) OR two bags at the curb side. 
• No person shall place for collection any garbage in front of any address except the address at which the garbage is generated.
• Recyclable material, tires, demolition and construction material, animal feces, liquids, furniture and appliances, paints, oils, batteries, propane tanks and other hazardous material will not be collected.
• Any broken glass must be wrapped in paper. Other hazardous material will not be collected.

Each household may place a maximum of two garbage bags per week at curb side. Any extra will not be taken during curbside pick-up. 

Any additional garbage bags must be in an authorized garbage bag purchased from various locations in the Municipality. The price of additional garbage bags is $2.00 per bag.

• Independent Grocer - Customer Service Lane (Morrisburg)
• MacEwen Gas Station (Morrisburg)
• Mustard’s Variety (Iroquois)
• Brinston General Store (Brinston)
• South Dundas Municipal Centre (Morrisburg)

All items must be clean and free of residue and cardboard must be broken down to 2.5 ft x 2.5 ft piles.

What goes in the Green Box?

• Newspapers, Flyers
• Fine Paper, Box Board
• Paper Egg Cartons
• Toilet Paper and Toilet Paper Rolls
• Pizza Boxes
• Telephone Directories
• Corrugated Cardboard
• Paper Shredding (place in clear transparent bags)
• Magazines, Catalogues

Non-Accepted Green Box Items:

• Hard Covered Books
• Waxed or Coated Boxes
• Styrofoam, Plastic Handles
• Plastic Bags

What goes in the Blue Box?

• Metal Food and Beverage Cans
• Glass Bottles and Jars used for food or drink
• Containers (with recycling symbol on bottom and numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 7 only)
• Aluminium Pie Plates
• Foil, Rigid Foils
• Containers, Trays

Non-Accepted Blue Box Items:

• Light Bulbs, Ceramics, Mirrors
• Window Glass, Pyrex
• Herbicide or Pesticide Containers
• Aerosol or Paint Cans
• Car Fluid Bottles
• Foil with Paper or Lamination

Registered farms are permitted to place four (4) bags of garbage at the curbside IF they complete the Farm Application and include their farm business number. 

Farm Business Collection Form

The Garbage and Recycling schedule is postponed one day on Christmas and New Years. It will remain unaffected on all other holidays.