Changes coming to waste collection programs in SWOX, including garbage bag tag increase

Debbie Kasman, Tillsonburg Post Correspondent

There are big changes coming to waste collection programs in South West Oxford Township (SWOX), and all other parts of Oxford County, including Tillsonburg, beginning in 2026.

The garbage bag tag fee will increase for all of Oxford County beginning Jan. 1, 2026 from $2 a bag to $3 a bag to cover rising costs of curbside collection.

Residential recycling pick-up for all parts of Oxford County will be moving from a municipal responsibility to a new provincial agency called Circular Materials. The move to this new province-wide recycling program will begin Jan. 1, 2026. More information and a list of acceptable materials for the new blue box program will be sent to homes this fall.

A new organics, or green bin, program will be introduced to collect food scraps and other biodegradable waste. This collection will begin in SWOX and Woodstock in January 2026 and in all other area municipalities in May 2027. Residents living in SWOX and Woodstock will receive their green bin containers this fall.

A six-day collection cycle for both garbage and organic waste will be in effect in SWOX and Woodstock starting January 2026. (SWOX already follows a six-day cycle for garbage.) The six-day cycle for garbage will come into effect in Tillsonburg and all other area municipalities beginning in May 2027. This schedule will move collection days forward one day from week to week, skipping weekends and holidays.

For SWOX or Woodstock residents, starting Jan. 1, 2026, the recycling

pick-up day could be on a different day than garbage and organics pick-up. For all other Oxford municipalities, including Tillsonburg, recycling will continue to be picked up with garbage until the organics collection program begins in May 2027. Then recycling

pick-up could be on a different day than garbage pick-up day.

Many small businesses, commercial properties, and institutions, including not-for-profit and public sector organizations in Oxford County will not be eligible for recycling collection under the new province-wide recycling program. In response, in February 2025, Oxford County Council approved the development of a local recycling program to continue to offer recycling collection to these groups. To register for this program, visit www.oxfordcounty.ca/business-recycling.

For more information, visit oxfordcounty.ca/wasteline.