Heather Wright/The Independent

Petrolia is returning to blue box recycling and nobody is happy about it.

Residents, according to Circular Materials Ontario, will soon receive two-80L blue boxes for their recyclables. The wheelie bin with the yellow top, which rolled into Petrolia backyards last November, will be taken away – recycled to be used in other communities which will receive the service.

The recycling change dates back to 2019, when the province decided producers, like the beverage industry, create the recycling so they should pay the cost of the program instead of municipalities which currently foot the bill.

Circular Materials Ontario was established by the government and producers and recently has signed contracts for recycling across the region.

Those contracts standardized services across multiple municipalities to drive costs down. Petrolia’s services will be changed to meet that standard. 

And it has angered residents and politicians alike.

“We are stepping backwards,” wrote Barb Fell on social media. 

“Having the Waste Management containers has been so nice, you can easily roll them out to the road and everything stays contained inside. The blue boxes are exposed to the weather if left outside and the contents easily get blown around the neighbourhood and need to be carried to the road. Bad choice in my humble opinion.”

Blake Bedard added there is “going to be garbage blowing through the streets again. There should be a lid,” he said.

Older residents found the wheeled bins more convenient. And many though the move was just stupid.

Over the course of five days, the town answered questions online and released more information in graphic form to help people understand the new system.

But, after receiving calls from residents about the change, Deputy Mayor Joel Field asked council to contact Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey to let him know residents will be getting less service under the new system. 

Field, backed by council, wanted the contract from Circular Materials Ontario reviewed.

Mayor Brad Loosley agreed saying he had already contacted Bailey, a Petrolia resident, who is also concerned about the changes.

While Petrolia is being downgraded from cart to blue box service, the town will ensure businesses will continue to have recycling pickup.

That’s according to Mike Thompson, director of operations who says the province decided commercial businesses would pay their own way after the producers complained the system was becoming too expensive for them to run. So, in Petrolia, businesses will still use the wheelie bins instead of having blue boxes or nothing at all.

“Commercial properties are ineligible (for recycling),” Thompson says. 

“We don’t have to pick we, as the Town of Petrolia, don’t have to pick up recycling from businesses, but we’re making the choice to continue to serve them and picking up recycling. Therefore, Emterra will do residential because they’re eligible, and Waste Management will continue to do the ineligible properties, which is the commercial businesses. So they will keep the carts because it’s still in their Waste Management.”

Welsh suggested the town should also bring up the exclusion of businesses from recycling saying “not only do we have a reduction in service for our residents, but also that our recycling pickup should be consistent and include the businesses.

“I believe it’s been fairly consistent across the province that commercial properties are not being included in these new RFPs they’re putting out, and that it is only residential properties.”

The town will contact Bailey about the lack of service as well as the Minister of the Environment, Todd McCarthy.

And, for the time being, town officials say throughout November, Emterra will bring two 80L Blue Boxes to each home.

 Your recycling waste will continue to be collected in Waste Management’s green bin with the yellow top until the end of December. Emterra takes over with blue boxes Jan. 1. 

The recycling will continue to be collected on the same day as your garbage is picked up.

Officials say the town is working with Waste Management and will let residents know when the old recycling carts will be picked up.