Circular Materials rolling out new residential recycling cart program in Orillia

Circular Materials rolling out new residential recycling cart program in Orillia

New convenient recycling carts will be delivered to homes starting in June.

For immediate release (April 1, 2026) – Starting on July 2, 2026, Orillia residents will see enhancements to their residential recycling program that includes a single recycling cart for all materials. Recycling collection will take place every other week. This widely used, automated recycling cart program is an easy and safe solution to managing household recycling. New carts will be delivered to homes starting in June, and residents can begin using them on July 2, 2026.

“The automated single-cart system, which is already in use in Simcoe County and in other communities across Ontario, offers residents a convenient way to manage their recyclables for pickup, with a cart that provides ample capacity and eliminates the need to sort materials,” said Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac. “While we recognize a change can be challenging, we are confident our residents will appreciate the benefits of this modernized approach to recycling management.”

Program rollout

• New recycling carts will be delivered to homes starting in June 2026. Deliveries will continue throughout the month of June.
• Single-stream recycling, where all recycling materials go in one cart, will change from weekly to every other week. There will be no change to the day of the week your recycling is collected.
• The updated, bi-weekly collection schedule will be available ahead of the new program starting in July at circularmaterials.ca/Orillia.
• Collection begins on July 2, 2026, after Canada Day.
• Until the cart program begins in July, residents should continue to use their current recycling containers or bags.

• Residents can see the full list of materials accepted for recycling at circularmaterials.ca/RecycleOntario. Circular Materials introduced a unified and expanded material list for the province of Ontario effective January 1, 2026, which means Ontarians can now recycle more materials, more easily.

“We are pleased to bring an enhanced and convenient recycling program to Orillia residents. We are confident that these enhancements will support increased recycling rates,” said Allen Langdon, CEO, Circular Materials. “As we continue to advance Ontario’s new blue box recycling program, including introducing new materials accepted for recycling, we are committed to delivering tangible results that will benefit residents, communities and the environment. We thank the City of Orillia for their continued engagement and collaboration, and we thank Orillia residents for their participation and engagement with the residential recycling program.”

Cart size and automated collection process

The new recycling carts have a capacity of 360-litres, reflecting the average volume of recycling generated by households across Ontario. Emterra Environmental, the service provider responsible for recycling collection in Orillia, will use automated collection trucks to safely service the carts, eliminating the need for drivers to exit their vehicles to manually empty them.

If the larger 360-litre cart does not meet a household’s recycling needs, residents may pre-order a smaller, 240-litre cart to be delivered instead of the 360-litre cart. Residents can pre-order smaller carts from Circular Materials starting on April 1 at circularmaterials.ca/OrilliaCarts. Orders must be placed by May 1, 2026.

Each delivered cart will include information on how to properly set it out for collection.

Information for residents

Residents can expect an informational postcard in the mail around mid-April. The postcard will outline cart delivery timeframes, program start date, details on how to order a smaller cart if desired, and general recycling tips.

Circular Materials and the City will support residents through the program rollout with online resources at circularmaterials.ca/Orillia. Additional outreach will include advertising on social media, radio and local newspapers to ensure residents are well informed.

For questions about recycling, residents can email the local recycling collection service provider, Emterra Environmental, at customercareont@emterra.ca or call 1-888-597-1541.

To pre-order a smaller cart, residents can complete the form at circularmaterials.ca/OrilliaCarts.

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About Circular Materials: Circular Materials is a not-for-profit producer responsibility organization (PRO) that supports producers in meeting their extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations under Ontario’s Blue Box Regulation. Circular Materials is also the administrator of the Common Collection System on behalf of all PROs operating in Ontario, responsible for operating the province’s new Blue Box recycling system. This new recycling program is 100% funded by producers – the companies that supply packaging and paper products to consumers in Ontario, including the familiar brands and retailers Ontarians interact with every day. This means municipalities and taxpayers no longer pay for recycling services as this cost is now paid by producers. Households across the province now have a convenient and enhanced system that recycles more materials, more easily. Learn more at circularmaterials.ca/RecycleOntario.