Changes are happening to your residential recycling program. Click here to view the 2026/2027 Curbside Collection Calendar.
More information can be found here:
www.circularmaterials.ca/PETAWAWA
www.circularmaterials.ca/PEMBROKE
www.circularmaterials.ca/LAURENTIANVALLEY
New regulations are being introduced across Ontario which shifts the responsibility of residential recycling collection and processing away from Municipalities to producers of packaging and paper products.
A producer is a company that designs, creates and markets products and packaging. Producer Responsibility means that companies are fully responsible for managing and paying for the life cycle of their products and packaging.
Producer Responsibility programs already exist in Ontario for materials such as tires, electronic waste and some household hazardous waste products (i.e. antifreeze, oil filters, etc).
In Ontario, Circular Materials is the producer responsibility organization (PRO) and is also the administrator of the common collection system on behalf of all PROs operating in Ontario.
For more information on producer responsibility visit Circular Materials website at https://www.circularmaterials.ca/what-is-epr/
In August 2019, the Government of Ontario announced plans to transition responsibility for the provincial recycling system from municipalities to producers. The transition to Producer Responsibility in Ontario began in 2023, with producers becoming fully responsible for providing recycling services province wide by the end of 2025.
The Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre’s partner Municipalities (Town of Petawawa, City of Pembroke, Township of Laurentian Valley and Township of North Algona Wilberforce) transitioned March 28, 2025.
In alignment with the new regulations, the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is currently leased to Emterra Environmental. This was done through a competitive bid process undertaken by Circular Materials.
Since December 1, 2024 the Centre’s MRF has been operated by Emterra Environmental. Sorting of recycling no longer takes place at the Centre; material will be received and shipped to a larger, centralized MRF with more sorting technology.
Emterra Environmental has also purchased OVWRC’s recycling processing equipment, both stationery and mobile. The lease is for 7 years with an opportunity to extend for one 3 year term.
Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre customers dropping off recycling will continue to enter through gate 1.
All residential recycling will be sent to the public drop-off bins (adjacent to the scale house). There is no charge for residential recycling.
Commercial recycling is accepted by Emterra. All loads of commercial recycling, no matter the size of the load, will be directed to the Recycling Facility. Drivers are required to sign all recycling weigh scale tickets. All loads which contain different material types (i.e. recycling and garbage) must be weighed and processed separately. Designated loads of corrugated cardboard will be accepted at no charge and loads of recycling will be charged at the current tipping fee rate. The recycling tipping fee rates will be determined by Emterra. Contact graham.therens@emterra.ca or 343-575-1994 for more information on commercial recycling.
If your business was receiving curbside collection of recycling via the residential collection route, there will be changes to your recycling collection. Town of Petawawa, City of Pembroke and Township of Laurentian Valley will provide additional information on this in early 2026.
For inquiries related to recycling or missed recycling collection, purchase/replacement recycling bins residents can contact: 1-855-752-3257 or area3@millerwaste.ca
For all other Collection Inquiries, purchase/replacement green carts and nets (to help reduce windblown litter) please contact:
Town of Petawawa: 613-687-5536, email@petawawa.ca
City of Pembroke: 613-735-6821, ext. 1409, wastemanagement@pembroke.ca
Township of Laurentian Valley: 613-735-6291 info@lvtownship.ca
Or
Miller Waste Systems at 613-735-6925
Unfortunately, this did result in job losses for OVWRC staff. OVWRC hand sorted recycling and the manual sorting of recyclables is not a viable solution to the long-term growth and expansion of recycling programs in Ontario. Material Recovery Facilities now use technology such as optical sorters, to separate recycling into different material streams. It has been difficult to see this part of the operation change but we understand it’s part of a broader strategy to ensure recycling services continue to be available to communities across Ontario.
This change only applies to recycling operations. The Centre will continue to operate the composting facility, landfill site, construction and demolition area, and hazardous and electronic waste depot.
Resources
Circular Materials: https://www.circularmaterials.ca/
Resource Productivity & Recovery Authority: https://rpra.ca/programs/blue-box/
Province of Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/waste-management