Background

The residential collection service in the City of Owen Sound operates on a bi-weekly waste and recycling collection cycle, with monthly corrugated cardboard collection. The current contract with the service provider for recycling and waste started June 1, 2016 and expires on May 31, 2023.

The city will transition to a Producer Responsibility, Common Blue Box collection system to collect recyclable material in July 2023. The transition to the Producer Responsibility collection system for recyclable material will allow the city to explore introducing a source-separated organics program.

On April 30, 2018, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks issued a Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement. The policy highlighted that focusing on preventing, reducing, rescuing surplus food, and recovering food and organic waste sets the policy foundation for achieving our goals of building a circular economy for Ontario while contributing to reducing greenhouse gases and the province’s Climate Change Action Plan targets.

The city also promotes three goods exchange days throughout the year. Residents are encouraged to divert usable items and materials from landfill disposal. The City also partners with surrounding municipalities to deliver eight Household Hazardous Waste collection and disposal events on a fee-for-service basis. The City also receives leaf & yard waste and brush materials from residential properties at the Leaf and Yard Waste Compost Site.