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2026 Waste Collection Calendars
Available online (below) or in paper copies for pick-up at City Hall, the Owen Sound Transit Terminal, and the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Library.
If printing at home, particularly in black and white, please select the calendar that corresponds to your location, either the EAST or the WEST side.
Combined Waste Calendar 2026 East Waste Calendar 2026 West Waste Calendar 2026
What you can recycle in Owen Sound
Recycling must be rinsed and sorted by type, and placed in a standard blue box. The exception to the blue box is for corrugated cardboard, which should be bundled and tied.
Residents are encouraged to review the updated guidelines from Circular Materials about what can be recycled as of January 1, 2026.
Miller Waste does not accept recycling in clear or blue bags; all recycling must be placed in a standard blue box, except for cardboard, as noted above.
To ensure your recycling is collected, please properly sort all materials.
What you can recycle in Owen Sound
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Corrugated Cardboard Recycling
Corrugated cardboard is thick cardboard, often used for packing boxes, etc. Boxes must be flattened and tied in a bundle when placed at the curb for pick up.
Corrugated cardboard pick-up is bi-weekly, on your regular recycling day.
Corrugated cardboard must be broken down to a size no larger than 24”x18”x6” (roughly the size of a standard carry-on suitcase) and must be bundled or placed in a container.
The Habitat for Humanity ReStore is the certified collection point for the Ontario Electronic Stewardship Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. At no cost, you can drop off electronics, including computers and peripherals (keyboards/mice), fax machines, televisions and cell phones.
For a list of accepted e-waste items please visit the Owen Sound ReStore e-waste items page or call (519) 371-6776.
Grey Bruce ReStore location: 223017 Grey Road 17 (Springmount)
Batteries thrown in the trash or recycling bin can spark and possibly cause a fire, and batteries that end up in landfills can be harmful to wildlife and the environment.
Used batteries can be safely recycled at Public Works during regular business hours, or on Household Hazardous Waste days.
For more information and other battery recycling options, please visit www.call2recycle.ca.
The Mandatory Recycling By-Law has information for industrial, commercial and institutional facilities.
Recycling Collection Changes for Owen Sound Businesses (Effective April 1, 2026)
Background
In June 2021, the Province of Ontario released the Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 391/21), transitioning Ontario communities to an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model. Under this model, producers of recyclable materials are fully responsible for the collection and processing of those materials. The Regulation also deems industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) properties ineligible to receive recycling collection services provided by producers.
Effective January 1, 2026, the City of Owen Sound’s curbside recycling program will transition fully to administration by Circular Materials, a not-for-profit organization representing producers under the Regulation. Under the EPR framework, Circular Materials will not provide recycling collection for non-eligible sources, as it is not required to do so.
Staff presented a report at the November Operations Committee outlining options for how recycling collection for non-eligible sources could proceed. On Monday, November 24, Council approved a three-month extension of municipal recycling collection for these non-eligible sources. This extension gives businesses and organizations more time to secure alternative recycling arrangements.
Beginning April 1, 2026, each affected business or organization must arrange its own recycling collection and processing. The City reminds non-eligible properties that recycling remains required and must continue after municipal service ends.
Non-eligible sources include industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings, as well as city facilities, daycares, places of worship, and non-profits.
What’s Next
Beginning April 1, 2026, non-eligible sources (ICI properties) will no longer receive municipal recycling collection. Property owners, managers, or occupants will need to make private arrangements for recycling collection and processing.
Below is a non-comprehensive list of possible service providers. Please contact these companies directly for details about programs, pricing, and availability.
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Company |
Telephone / Website |
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Miller Waste |
519-372-1855 www.millerwaste.ca |
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Green For Life (GFL) |
519-948-8126 / https://gflenv.com |
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Waste Management (WM) |
855-292-6030 / https://www.wm.com/ca/en/home |
Please note that the City of Owen Sound does not endorse or guarantee the services provided by these companies.
More Information
The following resources can help you better understand the EPR transition and its impacts:
Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 391/21): www.ontario.ca/laws
Circular Materials Website: www.circularmaterials.ca
If you have any questions, please contact Heidi Jennen, the Supervisor of Environmental Services at 519-376-4440 Ext 3223 or hjennen@owensound.ca
Response from the Province
The City of Owen Sound, along with many other municipalities, strongly lobbied the Provincial Government to allow continued curbside recycling collection for small IC&I locations.
We were hopeful collective feedback was heard. However, on October 1, 2025, the County was notified by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that Circular Materials (the PRO) would not be able to fulfill this direction, and the Province would not proceed with further regulatory changes.. This means recycling collection for small IC&I locations will end as of January 1, 2026.
The Minister of Environment’s Letter can be viewed here for full details and background on this decision by the Ontario Government.
For more information about these changes, please contact Circular Materials 1-877-667-2626 or customerservice@circularmaterials.ca
Contact Us
808 2nd Avenue East,
Owen Sound, ON
N4K 2H4
Phone: 519-376-1440
Email us
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