Ottawa residents must now pick up new recycling bins
Ottawa residents requesting new recycling bins will now have to go pick it up themselves as the new recycling contractor is directing people to collect those bins from either of two locations across the city.
It marks another change under the
new Ontario-wide recycling program
that came into effect in Ottawa on Jan. 1. The system is administered by the non-profit organization Circular Materials with contractor Miller Waste Services responsible for collecting recycling from curbsides.
Previously, when recycling was operated by the City of Ottawa, new bins were delivered to residents free of charge and an exchange system allowed residents to place damaged bins at the curb.
When Miller Waste assumed recycling
collection duties at the beginning of January
, the contractor appeared to be following a system similar to the one the city had in place: a Jan. 9 email exchange obtained by the Ottawa Citizen indicated Miller Waste previously delivered new bins to residents upon request.
But residents say the contractor’s messaging has changed within the past few weeks. Now the contractor is directing people to pick up new bins at one of two shops located at either end of the city, according to mid-January emails sent to a Wellington West resident and obtained by the Citizen.
One pickup location is northwest of Stittsville on Walgreen Road and the other is on Bantree Street in the east-end Trainyards area.
Miller Waste also stated it was only handing out blue bins as part of an effort to phase out black bins. Previously, bin colour was used to separate different kinds of recycling materials, with black for paper/cardboard and blue for plastic and glass.
Now, regardless of bin colour, the contractor stated, materials will be collected on designated pickup days as long as the correct recycling is in the bins.
Circular Materials, which handles communications and media relations on behalf of Miller Waste, did not indicate why bins were no longer being delivered directly to residents when asked by the Ottawa Citizen, stating only that it was working on a streamlined process.
“As part of our ongoing focus on delivering a strong and consistent resident experience, we are working with our service provider, Miller Waste, on a standardized process for providing new bins to residents,” Allen Langdon, CEO of Circular Materials, wrote in a statement.
Circular Materials added that new bins would be provided to residents based on “a demonstrated need for a new or additional bin, such as damage to an existing bin or consistently high volume of material requiring a second bin.
“We thank residents for their patience as we worked to finalize this process and ensure we are meeting their needs.”
This isn’t the first time Ottawa residents have
reported communication inconsistencies
with the new provincial recycling program.
A Jan. 3 email sent to a Barrhaven resident and obtained by the Ottawa Citizen showed that Miller Waste informed residents they’d have to pay for new recycling bins except in specific circumstances such as a new-build home.
But Circular Materials clarified on Jan. 8 that this information had been provided in error, and that bins would continue to be provided free of charge. Circular Materials said in its Jan. 30 statement that residents believed they had been incorrectly charged for new bins could contact Miller Waste.
“Miller Waste will work with the resident to review their request,” Langdon’s statement said.
Circular Materials did not directly state whether refunds would be made available to residents who purchased bins after being directed to do so.
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