The Town of The Blue Mountains is pleased to share that the 2026 Waste Resource Guide is now available.
The updated guide is an important resource that outlines sorting information, landfill and recycling depot details, curbside collection guidelines and key dates for 2026. Notably, the 2026 edition includes significant updates related to Ontario’s new Blue Box collection rules that came into effect on January 1, 2026. These changes shift how recycling is managed across the province and expands what can be collected.
Residents are encouraged to review the guide to stay informed and ensure materials are sorted correctly under the new system.
Waste Management and Litter Control By-law
The Town remains committed to reducing litter, maintaining clean neighbourhoods and limiting wildlife interactions with curbside waste.
The Waste Management and Litter Control by-law, passed in 2023, established rules to help preserve the character of The Blue Mountains. Through this by-law, a warning program has been introduced. Town By-law Officers may use a door card to educate homeowners on the rules and related administrative monetary penalties (AMPs), or fines. Many of the by-law violations have associated AMPs, which can and will be charged against the property owner. A warning is not a requirement prior to a fine being imposed, but it is an opportunity to educate the homeowner without the use of a fine.
Chargeable violations can be issued to households that place waste out for collection too early (before 7:00 P.M. the day prior to collection) or place out bags of garbage beyond the one bag limit without proper tags. The first bag of garbage does not require a tag, a second bag requires one tag and a third bag requires two tags. Commercial locations are limited to two bags. Tags are available at Town Hall and many local stores for $5 each.
Fines can also be issued for allowing waste, through action or inaction, to be strewn by animals or for not removing uncollected waste from the curb. Additionally, yard waste cannot be placed out early and empty containers cannot be left at the curb after 7:00 p.m. on the day of collection. Uncollected material cannot be left out at the curb.
The following table lists the related Administrative Monetary Penalties and associated fines:
| Schedule “E” Infractions | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Setting out non-collectible waste (e.g. construction/demolition debris, over limit, over weight, prohibited, unsorted, bulky and other waste materials) | $100 |
| Setting out waste in excess of limit or frequency (e.g. bags over limit or not tagged) | $100 |
| Setting out waste outside of permitted time or location (e.g. garbage, organics, recyclables and yard waste set out prior to 7:00 p.m. the day before collection) | $100 |
| Failure to remove scattered waste | $100 |
| Failure to remove empty waste containers (e.g. empty waste containers must be removed from curbside prior to 7:00 p.m. on the day of collection, together with any waste that was not collected) | $100 |
| Interference with curbside collection (e.g. scavenging of curbside waste) | $100 |
| Littering (e.g. through action or inaction) | $500 |
| Waste dumping (e.g. discarding waste, including on private or public property) | $5,000 |
| Wrongful use of public space receptacles or municipal lands (e.g. depositing of household or commercially generated waste in parks or public receptacles) | $250 |
| Waste inadequately contained on premises (e.g. waste that creates a nuisance or is unsightly) | $1,000 |
| Exiting Disposal Site without payment | $800/tonne |
| Balloon release (e.g. releasing a helium balloon or similar into open air or the natural environment) | $100/balloon |
| Cigarette butt littering | $100 |
To learn more about the Litter and Waste By-law, please visit the Waste Management and Litter Control By-law 2023-69 page.
For more information, please contact:
Operations Department
Town of The Blue Mountains
(519) 599-3131 ext. 276
