Garbage, Organics and Recycling

Expect delays at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility while weigh scale construction is underway from Monday, September 14, to September 28. The facility will operate with one scale during this period, so please allow extra time for your visit.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding. Updates will be posted on social media and at www.wasteline.ca.

Beginning September 1, 2026, blue box recycling materials will no longer be accepted at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility in Salford. This applies to materials from both residents and businesses.

Blue box materials will not be accepted as garbage. Customers who bring blue box recyclable materials to the facility will be required to take them home.

Why is this changing?

Starting January 1, 2026, the Ontario government changed how blue box recycling is managed, making the companies that produce packaging and paper products responsible for collecting and recycling those materials. The new system is managed by Circular Materials on behalf of producers. 

Residential recycling

Residents should continue placing blue box materials at the curb for collection. Circular Materials is responsible for residential recycling collection and drop-off locations; however, they do not currently operate a recycling depot in Oxford County.

For missed collections, blue box inquiries, or questions about acceptable materials, contact Emterra Environmental at 1-888-597-1541 or email customercareont@emterra.ca.

For other questions or concerns about the residential recycling program, contact Circular Materials at 1-877-667-2626 or email customerservice@circularmaterials.ca.

Business recycling

Businesses are no longer eligible to receive curbside blue box recycling collection through the residential program operated by Circular Materials. To address this service gap, Oxford County has started a business, commercial and institutional (BCI) curbside recycling program. Businesses and eligible organizations can apply for Oxford County’s BCI curbside recycling program or arrange recycling service through a private waste management company.

You can find more information about the BCI program here. If you have additional questions, please contact BCIrecycling@oxfordcounty.ca.

The April edition of Oxford County’s Waste Management newsletter, Wasteline, is now online and in mailboxes.

Wasteline provides residents with important updates and announcements on Oxford County Waste Management services.

This issue highlights several areas of Waste Management including:

• Large Item Collection details; 
• information about local waste diversion depots; 
• who to call for curbside collection; 
• reminders and more.

Read Wasteline newsletter

Residents who bought an 83L blue box from Oxford County (2019–2025) may be eligible for a free vented lid.

Pick up your lid at the Oxford County Waste Management Facility during regular operating hours (office or scale house). The lids fit the Oxford County 83-litre blue boxes (19” x 15.5”) and are available while supplies last.

Please note: Eligible blue boxes must have been purchased through Oxford County locations, including the Waste Management Facility, Administration Building, or Area Municipal Offices (excluding the City of Woodstock).

Starting Monday, April 6, 2026, the gates of the Waste Management Facility will close to incoming customers 15 minutes before closing to ensure staff have enough time to process materials.

Changes to garbage and recycling collection, and the launch of a green program for organic waste, begin in 2026. Learn more at www.speakup.oxfordcounty.ca/new-waste-collection 
    

UPDATE - Dec 8, 2025 - City of Woodstock and Township of South-West Oxford residents will have same day pick-up for garbage, green bin organics and blue box recycling starting January 2026.

Oxford County and City of Woodstock have been in discussion with Circular Materials-- the province-wide, not-for-profit organization responsible for blue box recycling in the new year-- to align its residential blue box recycling collection with Woodstock and South-West Oxford’s collection for garbage and green bin organics. Read the update in the newsroom

What's changing

	New: Green bin (organics) collection Green bins are used to collect organic waste (food scraps and other biodegradable waste). Collection starts in South-West Oxford and Woodstock in January 2026. All other area municipalities (Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, Ingersoll, Tillsonburg and Zorra) begin organic collection in May 2027.
	Six-day collection cycles Under this type of schedule, your collection day moves forward one day from week to week, skipping weekends and holidays. Woodstock moves to six-day collection cycle for garbage and green bin collection starting in January 2026. South-West Oxford already follows a six-day collection cycle. Annual collection calendars will be mailed out to residents ahead of time and automatic reminders will be available through the Wasteline mobile app. Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, Ingersoll, Tillsonburg and Zorra will move to a six-day cycle for garbage and green bin waste in May 2027.
	Garbage collection Bag tag fees increase to $3.00 per bag on January 1, 2026. In South-West Oxford and Woodstock, garbage and organic waste (green bins) will be collected on the same day. Recycling-- which will now be collected by Circular Materials--will follow the same collection schedule so that garbage, green bins and blue bins can all be set out on the same day. In all other Oxford municipalities, garbage and recycling will continue to be picked up on the same day.
	Blue box recycling collection Under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, (External link)responsibility for providing recycling services has now shifted to the producers (retailers, manufacturers, etc.) that create products and packaging. This change began in July 2023 and takes effect in Oxford County on January 1, 2026. Visit Blue Box - RPRA(External link) (External link)to learn more. More information and a list acceptable materials for the new blue box program will be shared by Circular Materials(External link). Visit www.circularmaterials.ca/oxfordcounty(External link) to learn more. The new province-wide recycling program for Ontario only collects recycling from residential properties. To continue to provide recycling collection to small businesses and other organizations, Oxford County is starting a new recycling collection program for these groups. Learn more and register here

• This new program will collect food scraps and other biodegradable waste as part of the residential curbside collection program.
• When they join the program, each Oxford County residence will receive a 7-litre kitchen container to collect food scraps and a 45-litre green bin to set out at the curb on collection day.
• Organics collection starts in South-West Oxford and Woodstock in January 2026. Residents living in these municipalities will receive their green bin containers and more information this fall.
• All other area municipalities (Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, Ingersoll, Tillsonburg and Zorra) begin organic collection in May 2027.

• As of January 2026, both the City of Woodstock and the Township of South-West Oxford will be under a six-day cycle for co-collection (pick up at the same time) of garbage and organic waste. South-West Oxford currently follows a six-day cycle for garbage collection.
• Under this type of schedule, your collection day moves one day forward from week to week, skipping weekends and holidays.
• Annual collection calendars will be mailed out to residents ahead of time and automatic reminders will be available through the Wasteline mobile app. Collection days will also be  posted to the Curbside Collection page.
• In May of 2027, Blandford-Blenheim, East Zorra-Tavistock, Norwich, Ingersoll, Tillsonburg and Zorra will move to a six-day cycle for co-collection of garbage and organics.

Download the Wasteline app to stay up to date on garbage and waste collection schedules

• Under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, responsibility for providing recycling services has now shifted to the producers (retailers, manufacturers, etc.) that create products and packaging. This change began in July 2023 and takes effect in Oxford County on January 1, 2026. Visit Blue Box - RPRA to learn more.
• More information and a list acceptable materials for the new blue box program will be sent to homes from Circular Materials this fall.
• The new province-wide recycling program for Ontario only collects recycling from residential properties. To continue to provide recycling collection to small businesses and other organizations, Oxford County is starting a new recycling collection program for these groups. Learn more and register here)