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Joining the program
If you live in an apartment, condominium or townhome, please contact your property owner or manager to ask if or when they plan to consider using Guelph’s three-stream waste collection program.
Here’s how multi-residential property managers or owners can participate in the City of Guelph’s municipal waste collection services:
- Contact us and arrange a site visit to make sure the waste collection access point and process is suitable and safe
- Submit a waste management plan for approval
- Sign an agreement to allow the City to collect waste at your property
- Get insurance for collection on private property
- Distribute a letter, educational materials and promotional supplies to residents to introduce the program
- Sort waste into three-streams (organics, recyclables and garbage)
Blue box transition
Ontario has transitioned all municipal blue box recycling programs to a new collection model called producer responsibility. Under producer responsibility, the companies that produce blue box materials fund Circular Materials, an organization that operates the recycling system on their behalf. For more information, visit our Blue Box transition webpage.
Due to amendments to the original Blue Box Regulation, Circular Materials is now responsible for collecting recycling from all multi-residential properties by 2031, however many properties are eligible for service earlier:
- All multi-residential properties with five or fewer units are eligible for free recycling from Circular Materials starting January 1, 2026.
- Multi-residential properties with six or more units that did not receive recycling collection by the City of Guelph prior to 2025 are eligible for free recycling from Circular Materials starting January 1, 2031.
- New multi-residential properties with six or more units that become occupied after 2025 are eligible for free recycling from Circular Materials starting January 1, 2031.
- Multi-residential properties with six or more units that received recycling collection from the City of Guelph prior to 2025 became eligible to transition to Circular Materials collection on January 1, 2025.
- New multi-residential properties with six or more units that became occupied during 2025 became eligible to transition to Circular Materials collection on January 1, 2025.
Multi-residential properties can still get City garbage and organics collection – even if they don’t qualify for free recycling collection from Circular Materials. The City can assist multi-residential properties that don’t qualify for free recycling from Circular Materials in accessing competitive pricing for recycling pickup through a group contract.
Resources
- Agreement City Collection of Waste at Multi-residential Property using Communal Collection
- Guidelines for Solid Waste Collection
- Request for City Waste Collection Services
- Waste Management Plan and Source Separation Commitment – Developers and Redevelopers
- Waste Management Plan and Source Separation Commitment – Existing Properties
- Waste sorting guide
For more information
Solid Waste Resources
519-767-0598; TTY: 519-826-9771
[email protected]
- Blue box changes
- Circular Economy
- Clothing donation locations
- Compost at home or at work
- Construction, Renovation and Demolition Waste Management Guidebook
- Donate plastic bags and reusable shopping bags
- Downtown waste collection
- Goods Exchange Weekends in Guelph
- How to dispose of furniture, appliances, large items
- How to dispose of household hazardous waste
- How to dispose of restaurant grease and oil
- How to sort garbage and recycling in Guelph
- Multi-residential waste collection
- ReCycle your bike, or get a used bike free
- Single-use items reduction strategy and ban
- Waste Resource Innovation Centre
- Waste Resource Innovation Centre Public Liaison Committee
- Waste cart orders and repairs
- Waste collection for businesses and organizations
- Waste collection schedule
- What happens to Guelph’s waste?
- Yard waste
Guelph Waste app
Use the Guelph Waste app to sign up for email or phone reminders about your waste collection schedule.
Download the free mobile app for Apple or Google devices.
