The Blue Box program in Ontario is managed by Circular Materials. For new and replacement bins, missed collection and other recycling questions, please reach out to Circular Materials' local recycling contractor:
Miller Waste Systems
1-888-852-4723
Place your blue boxes at the curb every week on your collection day.
Rules
Use two blue boxes to separate:
- Containers.
- Paper products.
- Blue boxes must be at the curb before 7 a.m. on your collection day.
- Blue boxes cannot weigh more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds) each.
- All recyclables must be loose inside the blue box. Recyclables in plastic bags will not be collected.
- Empty and rinse all containers before putting them in the blue box.
- On windy days, put your recycling out for collection in the morning instead of the night before.
- Don't overfill your blue boxes. Keep material below the rim.
- Bundle cardboard separately. These bundles can act as a "lid" for your blue box.
- In the winter, place blue boxes on cleared parts of your driveway. Do not put them on top of snowbanks or icy patches.
- There is no limit to the number of blue boxes you can set out for collection.
Containers blue box - accepted materials
- Plastic containers:
- Laundry detergent and household cleaner jugs, shampoo, body wash, salad dressing, condiment, dish soap, mouth wash bottles, plastic beverage bottles
- Food trays, salad, yogurt, peanut butter, bakery and egg containers, plastic cups, plastic tubs and lids
- Toothpaste tubes, deodorant, hand cream tubes
- Small item packaging, hand sanitizer bottles, plant pots
- Cartons:
- Beverage cartons, juice and milk cartons, coffee creamers and sugar cartons, soup and sauce cartons
- Paper laminate containers:
- Spiral cans, cookie dough package, ice cream containers, and hot and cold beverage cups
- Foam packaging:
- Meat trays, takeout containers, cups, plates, bowls, foam packaging
- Metal:
- Food cans, metal lids, cookie, coffee and tea tins, beverage cans
- Aluminum:
- Aluminum foil, pie plates, frozen food trays
- Aerosol containers:
- Food spray, hairspray, air fresheners, shaving cream, deodorant
- Glass containers:
- Food containers, jars and bottles
- Cosmetic containers
- Spice bottles
- Oil and vinegar bottles
- Non-alcoholic glass beverage containers
Papers blue box - accepted materials
- Cardboard boxes - flatten and bundle, no larger than 60 x 60 centimetres(24 inches)
- Boxboard:
- Cereal boxes, tissue boxes, egg cartons, rolls from toilet paper and paper towel
- Paper:
- Any colour, including flour bags, prescription bags, paper produce bags
- Notepads, white or coloured loose paper, file folders, other printed material
- Community newspapers, flyers, brochures and magazines
- Greeting cards and envelopes, gift boxes
- Paper laminate packaging:
- Pet food bags, food service paper bags, and plates
- Flexible plastic packaging:
- Bags used for dry cleaning, bread, newspaper and flyers
- Overwrap (paper towel and toilet paper, beverage containers)
- Coffee bags or deli pouches, chip bags, bubble wrap, snack wrappers, cereal liner bags, plastic gift bags
Unacceptable materials
- Books
- Toys
- Diapers
- Pots and pans
- Hazardous materials
- Batteries
Important changes to curbside Blue Box collection for small businesses
Durham Region has waived fees for dropping off Blue Box materials at Regional Waste Management Facilities. The fee waiver was approved as part of the 2026 budget and is now in effect.
As of January 1, 2026, Blue Box recycling collection previously provided to small business customers, including those located in local Designated Business Areas will be discontinued.
Background
On July 1, 2024, the Regional Municipality of Durham transitioned the responsibility of Blue Box recycling collection to Circular Materials, an organization that represents the producers and importers of the products and packaging collected in the blue box. The transition to producer responsibility is a requirement of the new Blue Box legislation enacted by the province in 2021.
Durham Region negotiated with Circular Materials and its local recycling contractors to continue service to existing small business customers, including those located in the local Designated Business Areas until December 31, 2025.
As of January 1, 2026, Circular Materials will provide no option to include small business customers in its residential collection routes, and recycling service will be discontinued to these businesses. All municipal garbage, green bin and leaf and yard waste collection services will continue unaffected.
Letter issued to small businesses November 14, 2025
Frequently asked questions
Why is this being implemented?
In June 2021, the Province of Ontario released Regulation 391/21 Blue Box (Regulation 391/21) under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, which shifts the financial and operational responsibility of Blue Box recycling from municipalities to the organizations that produce or import packaging, paper and packaging like products. The transition under the Regulation is being phased in over three years and will take full effect on January 1, 2026, province wide. Durham Region transitioned its Blue Box program on July 1, 2024.Blue Box Regulation 391/21 designates eligible sources as residences and facilities exclusively. Facilities, as defined by the regulation, include residential-type buildings such as long-term care homes, not-for-profit retirement homes, multi-residential buildings, and schools. Commercial and industrial establishments, including small businesses, are not covered under this regulation.
