On September 8, the City of Barrie begins automated cart collection for waste. This change will impact waste collection for properties within the downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA).
Owners/designated property managers (owners) of residential, business, institutional, or mixed-use properties within the downtown BIA must have registered with the City by March 31 to receive municipal curbside waste collection services (municipal waste service) for organics, garbage, and business/institutional recycling effective September 8.
Failure to have registered before the March 31 deadline can still register, but may not receive automated carts before September 8, 2025, and therefore may experience a delay Manually collected garbage bags/cans, green bins and business/institutional recycling in blue and grey boxes will no longer be collected after September 8.
There will be no change to how residential recycling materials are collected. Residential recycling is not managed by the City. Any changes to residential recycling services will be communicated by Circular Materials.
The downtown Barrie BIA area is depicted in the map below. Look up your address on the curbside collection schedule map to confirm if your property is located in the BIA.
About Automated Cart Collection
Automated cart collection is when the driver uses a mechanical arm on the side of the waste collection truck to lift and empty carts, without exiting the vehicle. Many municipalities are changing to automated waste collection. Waste is contained and better protected against wind and animals, keeping neighbourhoods cleaner. Carts are easy to roll and eliminate heavy lifting and dragging of containers and protect the health and safety of waste collectors.
With automated cart collection, all properties throughout Barrie will be provided carts for organics and garbage. Business and institutional properties will also be provided with carts for recycling. Municipal waste service will only be provided to a property with the carts. This includes properties in the downtown BIA.
Why Registration is Required for Service in the BIA
In dense urban areas like Barrie’s BIA, meeting the needs of property owners will require working through the unique layout of each property. Registering with the City will ensure the individual needs of each property requesting municipal waste service are considered and facilitate the delivery of new carts.
Owners are solely responsible for the registration and management of municipal services for their property(ies) within the BIA.
Eligibility for Municipal Service in the Downtown BIA
If your property meets the following criteria you were required to register for municipal service by March 31 to receive municipal waste service when the system changes on September 8:
- Property with 1 to 5 residential units
- Property with 1 or more business/institutional units
- Property with 1 to 5 residential units and/or 1 or more business/institutional units (mixed-use)
How to Apply
Property owner information including email, phone number, roll number (found on your property tax bill) are required to confirm registration and municipal service details. The online application should take 5–10 minutes to complete.
Tenants of properties are not permitted to register for municipal curbside waste collection under the new program and must work with the property owner or authorized manager to accommodate their waste collection requirements.
Any property owners who apply after the March 31 deadline may not receive automated carts before September 8, 2025, and therefore may experience a delay in commencement of service.
Assignment of New Waste Carts
Carts will be assigned to the property, NOT to individual units. Owners must provide their contact information, property address and roll number (found on their tax bill). Once registered, City staff will work with each property owner to confirm:
- Quantity of carts provided to the registered property;
- Size of carts provided to the registered property; and
- Waste storage areas and collection points for the carts.
Services Effective Sept. 8 2025
| Property Type | Materials & Method Collected Effective Sept. 8 |
|---|---|
| BIA Residential |
|
| BIA Business/ Institutional |
|
Collection Schedules Effective Sept. 8, 2025
Effective September 8, 2025, the collection schedules for downtown BIA properties will change as outlined below. Waste must be placed curbside on collection days prior to 5am for municipal service. No manually collected garbage bags/can, organics bins or business/institutional recycling bins will be collected once cart collection begins on September 8.
Cart Limits for Downtown BIA Properties
- Business/institutional properties will be eligible for a maximum of one set of carts per property (not per unit).
- Mixed-use properties are eligible for a maximum of 3 sets of residential carts and 1 set of business/institutional carts (limits apply). Residential units and business/institutional units will not be eligible to share carts. Waste generated from residential and business/institutional units must be disposed in their respective carts.
- Properties with 6+ residential dwelling units are eligible for municipal centralized collection services (organics and garbage collection). The City will contact the owner (upon registration) to discuss municipal servicing options.
| Unit Type | # of Units per Property | Max. # of Garbage Carts (240 L) per Property | Max. # of Organics Carts (120 L), per Property | Max. # of Recycling Carts (360 L), per Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 1 | 1 | 1 | Residential recycling collection is not managed by the City of Barrie. |
| 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 5 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Business & Institutional | 1+ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The below FAQs are specific to downtown BIA curbside collection services effective September 8, 2025, when automated cart collection service begins and for which registration was due by March 31. Also see general FAQs re the City's transition to automated cart collection.