Item - 2026.MM39.45

Councillor Lily Cheng, seconded by Councillor Paula Fletcher, recommends that:

1. City Council request the City Manager, in coordination with the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services and the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services in their analysis for bin procurement to replace Astral bins, to consider procurement of litter-only bins with no recycling infrastructure, instead transitioning to a 'carry-in, carry-out' model that encourages users to take their recyclables home with a report back to the appropriate committee when the plan for bin procurement is reported back.

2. City Council request the General Manager, Solid Waste Management Services to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in 2027 with an updated strategy for public space recycling and food packaging litter reduction in Toronto, including the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of one or more of:

a. targeted receptacles in high-traffic locations that accept only valuable and genuinely recyclable materials (e.g., aluminum cans and PET bottles), such as reverse vending machines or smart-bin technology;

b. incentive Programs successfully utilized in other jurisdictions; and

c. other options that will reduce litter and landfilling of food packaging, including those identified in the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks 2019 Discussion Paper on Reducing Litter and Waste in our Communities.

3. City Council request the Provincial Government to:

a. re-introducing public space recycling obligations within O. Reg 391/21: Blue Box; and

b. requiring retail establishments to:

i. allow consumers to de-package products onsite upon purchase, and

ii. deliver the any Blue Bin materials from that packaging into the provincially-mandated Blue Bin recycling system.