Recyclable Waste

• Put items in the boxes and place them by the curb on their pickup date before 6 a.m.
• Place your boxes on the curb as close to the roadway as possible, without blocking the sidewalk.
• Place items loosely in the boxes, do not bag your recyclables.
• Put all plastic bags into one plastic bag, tie it closed, and place it in your grey bin. 
• Help us avoid recycling blowing away on a windy day! Place heavier recyclable items on top or place an unattached piece of wood over top of the box.
• Ensure each box and its contents weigh less than 44lbs (20kg).

• You’ll notice little to no change in your weekly recycling routine. Blue and grey box collection will still happen regularly—but it’ll be handled by Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) and their selected contractor, Emterra, instead of the City.
• Your collection day and accepted materials will stay the same at least until the end of 2025. In 2026 or later, CMO may update collection days or methods.
• If you need a new bin or want to exchange a broken one, that will go through CMO’s contractor, Emterra.
• Keep sorting your recyclables as usual. Our Waste app will continue to include the recycling sorting function.

No, automated cart-based waste collection and the recycling transition are two different programs:

• Recycling transition: starting July 1, 2025, Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) will take over management of the blue and grey box recycling collection in Kingston. Emterra Environmental is their selected contractor for service.
• Automated cart-based waste collection: starting July 1, 2025 the City will begin introducing automated cart-based collection for garbage and green bins (organics) in select neighbourhoods.

If your household is included in the first phase, you’ll receive your new carts before July 1.

The rollout will continue over several years across Kingston. The City will remain responsible for collecting garbage and organics. Learn more about the automated cart collection.

• The Ontario government’s Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act’s Blue Box Regulation places full financial, operational and performance accountability for recycling programs on the producers of recyclable materials. This approach is called extended producer responsibility and already applies to many commercial goods, including tires, batteries, electronics and hazardous materials like paint or antifreeze. The new collection system will make recycling easier by standardizing what can be recycled across Ontario.   
• This is a provincial mandate that all Ontario municipalities are required to follow.
• This program is administered by Circular Materials Ontario, a new non-profit organization representing producers.  
• The producer responsibility approach creates a direct incentive to producers to reduce waste and improve recycling, which decreases pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and reduces natural resource usage. 

Emterra Environmental is contracted by Circular Materials Ontario to collect recyclables in Kingston starting July 1, 2025

• There will be no changes to the drop-off process until Dec. 31, 2025.
• Blue and grey bins will no longer be available at KARC starting July 1.

Contact Emterra Environmental for new or replacement bins starting July 1, 2025

Yes, the Waste app will continue to be functional after the transition. We will work with Circular Materials to maintain the app and its content for recycling.