Some businesses and not-for-profits unaware of recycling changes

Boxes sit stranded outside of many businesses across the city, including the Suit Shop Company on Erie Street.

“Wednesday is our recycling day. No one came,” said owner Laz Dimitriou, who was unaware businesses and not-for-profit organizations were no longer serviced through the regular Blue Box program. “It's the first I heard about this.”

He's not the only one that didn't know about the provincial change in legislation. A couple of doors down is a full-size bin filled to the top by La Dolca Italia Bakery and Deli.

“It's not completely ideal having a full bin,” said Maia Pupatello, daughter of the owners who works at the store. “We're constantly going through containers and boxes and obviously we like to keep our place clean. It's just a little difficult when our bin is pretty full. We can't get rid of a lot of things.”

Some recycling in various parts of the city is still out waiting to be picked up.

Joaquim Lourenco, owner of Kona Sushi in Walkerville, didn’t want to leave last week’s recycling out front.

“I had ended up taking matters into my own hand. Luckily, I have a dad of mine that owns a farm so I just kind of moved some of that garbage over there.”

Municipalities are no longer on the hook to collect recycling. That burden is now on the producers of materials for residential pick up.

“We had to create a program because we didn't want to leave those businesses and not for profits stranded,” said Cathy Copot-Nepzsy, manager of Waste Diversion with the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority.

Those serviced by the EWSWA were asked to register before April for the Aug. 28 rollout.

“We did that through mailout, media campaigns, etc., and we had 1,800 come back and register and those are the ones that we're currently servicing in this program,” Copot-Nepszy said, pointing out there is a customer service hotline set up for those who forgot or didn’t register. “We just ask everybody, businesses and not for profits, to contact us directly. so that we can resolve the recycling issue and process their registration as soon as possible.”

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