"The Garbage Man Can!" Part 2
Waterloo Region welcomes automatic cart-based waste collection
Automated waste collection carts are hitting the roads this week in Waterloo Region, so what does that mean for residents? We have a special Tuesday-edition of Citified to try to find out!
Just the basics:
Blue bins: Stating in 2023, the Ontario government handed over the responsibility of the province’s blue box program to the non-profit Circular Materials to collect and process Ontario’s recycling. The program will be fully adopted this year.
In Waterloo Region, Circular Materials has subcontracted Miller Waste to fulfil collection duties and has been managing the residential blue box program since March 2024.
Since January 1st of this year, more materials can be recycled across Ontario, including toothpaste tubes, coffee cups, and ice cream tubs. Click to see the full list.
Additional recycling blue bins have been delivered to residences since blue bins will now be picked up every other week, alternating with garbage collection. You can still use your current blue bins. If you haven’t received additional blue bins, scroll to the ‘What if I have questions?’ section below.
Green (organics) and black (waste) bins: The Region is making the shift to the cart-based collection for waste and organics to address “the challenges around staff recruitment and retention with manual waste collection — including a limited labour pool due to extensive physical work, working in adverse conditions, negative perception, and health and safety risks.”
Green bins will still be collected weekly, using the new green bin carts.
You should have received a waste collection calendar. You can also enter your address online to confirm your collection schedule.
Cart based collection (waste and organics) begins March 3, 2026; following this collection schedule:
Garbage collection (black carts) will remain every other week
Organics collection (green carts) will remain weekly
Bulky item collection will move to once a month
Yard waste collection will remain every other week (opposite your garbage collection week), spring to fall
Your waste collection day may have changed as waste collection no longer happens on Mondays and is now ‘zone-based’. Click to view a map of collection zones.
All households will receive garbage (black cart) collection this week, March 3-6.
What do I have to do?
How to set out your black and green carts
Place your cart at the end of your driveway or boulevard by 7 a.m., on collection day.
Arrows on the lid should point to the street; the handle faces your home.
Place at ground level – not on top of, or behind, snowbanks or on the road.
The weight of a large cart cannot exceed 200 pounds (90 kilograms) and the small waste cart cannot exceed 100 pounds (45 kg).
A bag tag can be placed on excess waste and placed at the curb for pickup beside your black cart, not on top of it.
The carts will be collected by trucks equipped with a mechanical arm. Carts should be placed two feet (approx. 0.5 m) apart with the arrows on the lid facing the street.
Here’s how to place your bins (showcasing a very wide driveway which doesn’t seem reflective of many driveways in the city, in my opinion).
Good to know:
This spring, there will be recycling drop-off events for old green bins, which can also be taken to waste management sites in Cambridge and Waterloo.
Additional 100-litre green carts can be purchased in the fall if you need additional capacity. Also in the fall, residents will be able to exchange their black garbage cart for a different size, such as small (120 l) or large (240 l), at no charge.
Black and green carts are assigned to each address, so do not move carts from one location to another. The Region asks that you do not exchange your carts with anyone. Carts belong to the Region of Waterloo, and have been given unique IDs for the properties to which they are assigned.
Your green bin has a lock – keep it closed to help keep animals out. The truck will automatically unlock the lid when it empties your bin.
Residents living with a disability or physical limitation, who need assistance placing the carts to the curb for collection, can apply for the assisted waste collection service. A medical exemption program is available for residents who have health needs that create extra garbage. Applications require a doctor’s note and are available online or through contacting the Service First contact centre at 519-575-4400.
Items such as bulky or large metal items, yard waste and Christmas trees will continue to be collected manually due to the variable quantity of waste and size limit of a cart for large items.
Pet waste is acceptable in the green cart, but must be bagged using a certified compostable bag or paper bag before placing in the cart.
Remember, the carts must be at least two feet apart, and there must be at least two feet between the carts and other objects (trees, cars, etc.)
“Double garbage days” where residents could “set out six bags of refuse instead of the usual three following Christmas, New Year’s, Good Friday and Thanksgiving will end in March.” Residents can still purchase bag tags ($3 each), “allowing residents to place a tag around the neck of the garbage bag and put it beside the garbage cart.”
The Region has some ideas on what you can do with your old garbage bins.
Watch a video demonstrating the truck in action.
What if I have questions?
If you have yet to receive your carts, please contact the Waste Management team at carts@regionofwaterloo.ca. Please include your name and property address in the email.
Learn more about the new cart program.
Visit the Circular Materials website or call 1-888-921-2686.
Circular Materials also has a Waterloo Region-specific page.
If you’re having issues:
City Residents: call Miller Waste - 1-888-852-3450 or e-mail - area22@millerwaste.ca
Township Residents: call Emterra Waste - 1-888-597-1541 or e-mail customercare@emterra.ca
If confusion still exists, residents are encouraged to call the Service First Contact Centre at 519-575-4400.
Information about Recycling and Blue Bins.
Learn more with the Waste Whiz app.
Do we have reason to be concerned about this shift?
Based on the rollout in other communities, there have been a number of challenges.
Ottawa residents had concerns about “conflicting pickup information, unemptied bins and a crammed customer support line after Miller Waste Systems took over recycling collection at all single-family homes on Jan. 1.”
Guelph’s Mayor Cam Guthrie said complaints from residents are up 1,100% since responsibility for blue box collection shifted away from the city. “The mayor says residents have consistently raised concerns about missed pickups, inconsistent and confusing routes, and uncertainty over what can be recycled.” Guthrie noted that this places an “unexpected burden” on staff who are left supporting residents even though the city is no longer responsible for this service.
Peel Region “is seeing signs of increased waste in the garbage stream since Ontario’s new privatized recycling system fully launched” this year.
Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow is frustrated that “under the new private system, Torontonians have less recourse than before, when they could send an email to their councillor or call 311.” One Toronto resident said, “There’s no public accountability or responsibility once you contract these — what should be public and municipal responsibilities — to a private enterprise.”
My hope is that lots of learning has happened as the program continues to expand and (at least some of) the challenges will have been addressed by now.
Region of Waterloo Staff Reports:
Curbside Waste Collection Changes Implementation and By-law Update, February 10th, 2026
Blue Box Transition Update, October 7th, 2025
What questions do you still have about the new automated cart collection system? Do you have a story to share about how well, or not, waste collection worked for you as we make this transition? Comment below! I have tried to capture as much as possible about this transition to a cart-based system, but please let me know if you think I’ve missed or misrepresented something - there’s been a lot to sort through! Thanks for reading.
Reposting to my neighbourhood Facebook group as this is a wonderful summary. Clarity of messaging helps mitigate the anguish of change.
The Region should consider hiring you as an editor.