There are still important decisions to make about how to equitably fund the operation of this system and how to best maintain and improve waste management downtown while the new infrastructure is being constructed.
In order to understand the needs of our Downtown and gather feedback on downtown waste management, we’re implementing a User Fee Study to inform a future program that will:
improve waste collection downtown
enhance fairness and accountability for ratepayers
achieve better waste minimization and diversion
Engagement plan
To identify the unique needs of our downtown, the City will engage with downtown businesses, property owners and key stakeholders through:
Surveys
Meetings
In person visits
During this time, City staff will also be testing new systems and tools that may become a part of future services. Things like:
Separate organics collection.
Shared collection spots.
Outdoor storage for waste carts.
The City is committed to working together to make downtown Guelph cleaner and a more attractive place to visit and do business.
Please note recycling service will continue to all downtown properties during 2025 while the User Fee Study takes place, as explained on our Blue Box changes in 2025 webpage.
Join the Downtown Waste Collection Working Group!
Starting this February, we are forming a working group to help plan a new user fee for waste collection in 2026 and beyond. This group will meet regularly through the spring and summer.
Who can participate?
Downtown businesses and institutions
Property owners and managers
Organizations interested in coordinating waste collection
Contact Robertson Reid at 519-822-1260 extension 2104 or [email protected]
We look forward to your participation and input!
Background
Blue Box transition
While residential waste has been transitioned to a new nonprofit organization, Circular Materials, industrial, commercial, and institutional (IC&I) waste is regulated separately from residential waste in Ontario. This means that businesses and institutions will not be served by Circular Materials, as per the Government of Ontario’s Blue Box Regulation. Starting in 2026, IC&I recycling will need to be managed separately from residential and public space recycling, meaning changes will need to be made in how the downtown’s mixed-use properties manage recycling.
Downtown Renewal Program
The City is undergoing a Downtown Renewal Program to transform how our downtown looks, feels, and functions while preserving its unique cultural heritage. As part of this program, we are planning to update the way we collect waste from downtown streetscapes and eligible properties. A plan that includes updated litter containers to serve pedestrians and new communal underground waste containers to serve downtown properties has been adopted by Council and will begin being implemented in coordination with the Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program in 2026.
User fees
User fees for downtown waste collection were previously explored in the Council-adopted Solid Waste Management Master Plan and Service Rationalization Study. The timing of the Blue Box Transition and Downtown Infrastructure Renewal Program make now the ideal time to decide how a user fee can help sustain waste collection, improve waste reduction and diversion, create accountability and transparency around costs, and aligning tax-supported services inside and outside the downtown.
The County of Wellington has a User Pay Garbage Bag System where residents purchase yellow garbage bags to fund part of the garbage collection and disposal.
The City of Toronto in Ontario’s only fully user fee supported waste management system. Residents and businesses pay a monthly bill based on the type and frequency of collection they choose.
Some advantages of user fees include:
Users choose how much they use the service and how much they pay, unlike tax which is automatically charged to everyone
Incentives to minimize and divert waste are created
Better reliability of revenue to support service delivery and long-term capital investment
Disadvantages include
More complex and costly to administer than a tax
New containers and collection methods are needed to ensure users only get charged for what they dispose of. The shared public space litter containers used by some in the Downtown now are not compatible. The communal underground containers approved and planned for during the Downtown Infrastructure Renewal will be able to measure usage by each user separately.
Council has only authorized downtown waste collection at the current budget until the end of 2025. Contingent on Council approval, new fees could apply as early as January 2026.
Where the fee will apply and how it should be set for different waste streams has not been decided yet. This will be a key topic discussed at the Working Group and then brought to the wider community for further input before making a recommendation to Council.
Who will coordinate downtown waste collection for businesses and institutions has not been decided yet either, this is another key topic to explore through the study. There may be a role for the City, for an organization representing downtown businesses and institutions, or it may be coordinated by individual properties, depending on community needs and preferences. Organizations interested in coordinating waste collection downtown are invited to connect with the Project Team to be included in the Working Group process using the information provided on the project’s Have Your Say.
Organizations interested in coordinating waste collection downtown are invited to connect with the Project Team to be included in the Working Group process using the information provided on the project’s Have Your Say.
Watch for our project team visiting businesses door to door this winter.
Please connect with the Project Team using the information provided on the project’s Have Your Say. We would be happy to schedule a time to talk with you.
Click the Stay Informed button on the Have Your Say page to get updates about the project and feel free to contact the Project Team with questions or comments as we progress.
Downtown residents are not expected to pay additional fees. Because the downtown contains a mix of residential, commercial, and institutional uses, the collection system that is put in place following this study will need to encompass all users, including residents. However, subject to Council approval, the user fees associated with the collection system is intended to serve downtown residents at least the same level of service as those outside the downtown supported by tax.
This could be achieved, for example, by crediting each property owner a number of “free” (tax-supported) collections based on the number of residential units in the building and charging fees to the Property Owner only for additional use.
However, this timing allows the City to have a user fee in place by the time the first underground communal containers are available for use on Wyndham Street North following the Downtown Infrastructure renewal construction.
In turn, the underground container system supports the user fee system by its design, as each waste disposal can be linked to a specific user and billed back to them.
A free rider refers to someone who receives a service without paying for it themselves and thereby causing everyone else to pay more. Free riding is unfair to those paying for the system and undermines public trust and confidence. A key objective of the user fee study is to prevent free riders in order to have a fair, accountable, and transparent waste management system.
