Residents in Petawawa, Pembroke, and Laurentian Valley can expect to receive their 2025 Collection Schedules during the week of March 17. The annual calendar, distributed by the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre (OVWRC) on behalf of the municipalities, provides important information on collection days for waste, recycling, and green carts, along with details on special collections such as leaf and yard waste and large item collection.
The collection schedules will begin on March 31. However, this year’s calendar will only run until December 31, due to ongoing changes to Ontario’s recycling programs. New regulations are shifting the responsibility for residential recycling collection and processing from municipalities to producers of packaging and paper products.
Starting March 28, recycling in Petawawa, Pembroke, and Laurentian Valley will be managed by Circular Materials, a not-for-profit organization working to improve Ontario’s recycling system. Miller Waste Systems will continue to handle curbside collection for all materials, while the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre’s Material Recovery Facility will now be operated by Emterra Environmental.
Although the new regulations are changing how recycling is managed, collection days and accepted materials will remain the same. Residents are encouraged to review their schedules carefully, especially the sorting guide included in the calendar, which contains important information about recycling, composting, and garbage disposal.
“The sorting guide inside the calendar contains very important information, and every resident should review it,” said Brian Lewis, Director of Operations for the City of Pembroke. “It lists what is accepted in each container and how to safely dispose of special materials like batteries and hazardous waste.”
The 2025 Collection Schedules feature several helpful tools for residents:
- A 9-month calendar with collection days marked by symbols
- A map to help determine weekly collection days
- A detailed, detachable list of accepted materials for yellow bins, green carts, blue boxes, and garbage
- Information on proper set-out requirements, including size limits, weight, and clearance for collection containers
- Details on special pickups, including leaf & yard waste and large item collection
- Information on how to dispose of electronic and hazardous waste, along with the 2025 Environmental Days schedule
The schedules will be delivered by March 28, but residents can also download a copy from the OVWRC website at Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre (OVWRC).
(Written by: Emma Butler)