Yes! Under the new legislation, more items may be recycled, including:

• Black plastic containers
• Coffee cups
• Frozen juice containers
• Ice cream tubs
• Deodorant and toothpaste tubes

The new legislation also standardizes recycling criteria across Ontario.

For the full, updated list of what is accepted as recycling under the new EPR model, please visit Circular Materials. 

The main goal of the new EPR legislation is to improve recycling rates. The legislation broadens the scope of materials that are accepted in Ontario blue bins as recycling and standardizes recycling criteria across the province. This enables residents to recycle more than ever and takes the guesswork out of what can be recycled where.

The legislation also extends the blue box program to communities outside the Far North, regardless of their population.

Another major tenet of the legislation is transferring full responsibility for managing and funding the recycling of paper and packaging materials from municipalities to producers (the companies that supply packaging and paper products to consumers).

Not only does this reduce the financial burden on municipalities (who can re-allocate those funds to other local initiatives), but it will hopefully inspire producers to design and manufacture more sustainable options.

Miller transports recyclables from commercial and residential sources to Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), where it is sorted and cleaned before being shipped to secondary processors and manufacturers who transform the material into new and useful products.

Recycling benefits everyone by preventing recoverable material from decomposing and emitting harmful greenhouse gases in the landfill and helping manufacturers reduce their reliance on virgin material, the extraction of which can be harmful to the  environment.

Read our blog to learn more.