Written By Jan Sims
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - Middlesex Centre has a new policy impacting recycling for industrial, commercial and institutional properties.
The ICI’s as they’re known, have been covered under the same blue box program as households, but a new system has been coming on line in Ontario municipalities intended to reflect the cost difference in collecting recyclables from ICI’s and households. “ICI collection presents inherent operational challenge,” according to a Middlesex Centre staff report brought to council at its July 2nd meeting. “Routes are often long and dispersed, requiring significant travel between stops while generating relatively low tonnage per location. Additionally, the material collected through the ICI stream is typically comprised of lower-value commodities, limiting the ability to offset costs through recycling revenue,” the report states.
Council was presented with four options for ICI recycling collection. The first option would be for ICI’s to look after their own recycling collection. However, the staff report notes:” Requiring the ICI sector to manage its own recycling programs can reduce pressure on municipalities… However, it will increase costs for small businesses, create fragmented service delivery, and may lead to reduced diversion from the waste stream without strong regulatory oversight.” The second option would be for the municipality to continue partnering with Bluewater Recycling for service delivery, with the full costs passed on ICI properties through their property taxes. A third option would be for the municipality to bear the brunt of collection. “The Municipality may continue to offer ICI recycling wheelie bins… at no cost to users as has been offered for years; however, the cost impact will become significantly greater in 2027. In past years, the cost of providing recycling services has been offset by the user fees charged for garbage wheelie bins,” the report notes. A fourth option would be a mix of the second and third option with subsidies to allow for cost recovery over a period of time. “The subsidization could be gradually reduced over a set number of years ultimately transitioning to no subsidization. This would allow businesses time to adjust to the cost impacts,” according to the report.
Ultimately council voted to support the second option, with several councillors saying the dollar amount to ICI’s would not be significant.
