Starting next week, recycling won't be a municipal responsibility. Here's everything you need to know

Circular Materials will be the new administrator across Ontario and GFL is the local contractor

Ankur Gupta · CBC · Posted: Aug 23, 2024 4:04 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 23, 2024

Red and blue recycling boxes are shown in the garage of a Windsor, Ont., home. (Bob Becken/CBC)

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Recycling and collection will no longer be a municipal responsibility, starting Aug. 28.

Circular Materials will be the new administrator across the province for recycling collection.

Due to changes in the provincial legislation, this will now be the responsibility of Green For Life Environmental Inc. (GFL), a contractor that has been hired by Circular Materials to collect residential recycled waste in Windsor and Essex County.

The Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) says that residents won't see big changes to the program, however. Here's what you need to know.

What is this transition and why is it happening?

The province is moving toward a common collection system across Ontario, under which the responsibility of recycling is transitioning away from the municipal government to the producers.

About 365 communities across the province that have already transitioned under new legislation. 

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Cat Griffin, communications coordinator for the EWSWA, said producers are now responsible for recycling the packaging of the products that they're making.

"So they're the producers and they are now responsible for recycling the products, the packaging of the products that they're making. They're the ones that are profiting off of their products, so they should be the ones responsible for recycling the packaging," she explained.

Cat Griffin is the communications coordinator for the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority (Ankur Gupta/CBC)

What does this transition mean for residents?

According to the EWSWA, there are no major changes to recycling collection or what can be placed in your bin.

"We are expecting a seamless transition and residents should just be able to put the recycling out as per usual," Griffin said.

Beginning Aug. 28, residents should put recycling out by 6 a.m. on their regular scheduled day as the collection can happen any time between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For any inquiries or issues related to bins or carts or for new builds residents should contact GFL directly at 1-844-415-4351 or online at WeRecycling@gflenv.com.

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One small change is that residents will no longer be able to recycle hard and softcover books and empty paint cans.

The empty paint cans and empty spray paint cans are not being accepted by GFL.

Griffin said these fall under household chemical waste.

"Now, if you have empty spray paint cans or empty paint cans, you can drop them off and we will recycle them at one of the Essex Windsor, solid waste authorities depots will recycle them for free at the depot," she said.

The three free drop depots are located in Windsor, Essex and Kingsville.

"We're telling people to donate their books," she said.

The cost of recycling will now be covered by Circular Materials on behalf of the producers. The EWSWA will still be doing some non-eligible business and nonprofit recycling, those of which are already on their list.

 Windsor

Former guards reflect as 174-year-old Chatham-Kent jail prepares for transformation

Tours by the former corrections officers are being offered into the month of September

Ankur Gupta · CBC News · Posted: Aug 17, 2024 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 18, 2024

The Chatham-Kent Jail building which will soon turn into apartments (Ankur Gupta/CBC)

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The Chatham-Kent Jail was built in 1850 and will soon be turned into an apartment complex — its former guards have stories to tell and they are giving tours before the conversion takes place. 

Dave Arnold worked at the jail as a corrections officer from 1990 to 2014, when the jail was shut down. 

He recalls when the last semi-successful escape from the facility happened in the late 1990s.

He says the inmate managed to get out of the facility by digging a hole through the plaster ceiling and crawling in.

"He kicked out a roof vent [and] shimmied down a drain pipe," Arnold said.

Watch the video story broadcasted on CBC Windsor here. 

Former Chatham-Kent Jail guards (L-R) Bob Pickard, Phil Gavin, Loris Arthurton and Dave Arnold (Chris Ensing/CBC)

He says the jail was alerted to the escape by a neighbour who saw what was happening.

But the inmate did manage to evade the guards and stole a car.

"He just happened to look around and there was a case of beer in the vehicle with him."

Arnold says the escapee eventually rolled the vehicle on the 401 while trying to make his getaway.

"An OPP cruiser came to investigate it and saw the man was still wearing orange and put two and two together and bingo, he's rearrested," Arnold said.

Watch Arnold tell the story of what he says is Chatham-Kent Jail's last escape:

Chatham Kent Jail's final escape, according to former guard

August 17, 2024

Duration2:45

After 174 years, the Chatham-Kent Jail will soon be gutted and transformed into an apartment complex. Dave Arnold is a former corrections officer at the facility and tells us the story of what he says was the jail's last escape.

Arnold is joining two other former guards giving tours of the jail and an adjoining courthouse until September — before they are gutted and turned into an apartment complex.

The developers of the buildings are not changing the exteriors as they are designated as a heritage site.

But, according to the developers, the interior plans are still underway, so details about the layout or the number of units that they are planning to build are not yet set.

Alysson Storey, who is a councillor for the municipality, says the housing that the site will be providing is sorely needed.

"The chance to provide [housing] in such a really interesting and historic structure, I think is really exciting," she says.

Loris Arthurton, former corrections officer at the Chatham-Kent jail in the cells where he said the riot broke. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

Easter riot

Loris Arthurton, another former guard, remembers when a riot broke out at the jail on Easter Sunday in 2000.

"When I came in, I heard just this roar of crazy noise and smoke, that smell of smoke," Arthurton said. 

Chatham-Kent councillor Alysson Storey, grand daughter of architect Joe Storey, who designed the newer courthouse building adjacent to the old courthouse and jail in Chatham. (Chris Ensing/CBC)

At the time, he says, the inmates were allowed to carry matches to light cigarettes.

Mayhem broke out in one cell block where inmates were lighting fires in their cells — he believes they were getting carried away because of drugs that had been smuggled in by a new inmate.

"They were high throwing the the flammable materials out. The smoke detectors were setting them fire bells off every two or three minutes," he says. 

He says inmates in another section of the jail decided to join in when they heard what was happening. 

"So it was like 30 or 40 people all kicking the wall, screaming, hooting and hollering, carrying on. But I could see that wall actually moving as they were kicking it, and I was praying that the rivets weren't gonna crack because then they would get out and they'd be loose."

"It was just bedlam."

 Windsor

'Too expensive' Black hair products prompts Windsor hairdresser to make her own

Audia Eastwood-Strachan is going from business owner to inventor

Ankur Gupta · CBC News · Posted: Aug 02, 2024 12:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 2, 2024

Audia Eastwood-Strachan styling Mariama Bah's hair with her newly launched products. (Ankur Gupta/CBC)

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Mariama Bah, 17, is used to struggling to find just the right products for her hair type.

Bah was getting her hair done at Unbeweavable Salon and Beauty Supply salon in east Windsor Thursday. Most products, she says, are too expensive and don't hold up her curls. 

"Everybody just makes products for hair, but they don't really know what the real problem is, you know," Bah said.

Audia Eastwood-Strachan, owner of Unbeweavable, believes she has just the trick.

The Windsor woman has invented and launched Sworls, a line of shampoo, conditioner, curl gel and curl cream. 

She says she has been selling the products for about a month in her salon and has already sold about 100 kits, which includes all of her line of products.  

Audia Eastwood-Strachan, who decided to bring a hair care range especially for Black and curly hair into the market. (Submitted by Audia Eastwood-Strachan)

"Throughout my almost 30-year career, It's been a problem within our community, especially with children really not knowing how to care for their curls, how to manipulate them so they can love their curl," she said. 

"So, that was the main reason why I came up with (these products)."

The needs for Black hair are different, she said, and there aren't enough products in Canada geared toward it. 

"We have curls, we have kinks, we have coils, but there isn't enough for our hair," she said. 

"There's a lot for the straight hair market, but not enough for us who have curly hair."

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She has been a hair dresser for 30 years and started her salon Unbeweavable Salon & supply Inc. in March 2005. During her career she has had clients who have issues managing their curls of and that's why she said she came up with this business idea.

Eastwood-Strachan said she's keeping the price point down by getting the products manufactured in Canada, unlike others in the market.

"I think in the Canadian market, we don't get enough. We (have) a lot of what we use is coming from the U.S."

She has also been taking classes to teach young girls on how to take care of their hair as says that would "cut frustration" and "cuts back on tears."

Bah said she has been loving her hair after using Sworls.

"It leaves your curls very nice and defined."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.