Mississauga's mayor and several councillors used Wednesday's general committee meeting to air complaints about the first week of Ontario's new blue bin recycling system, saying residents have reported missed collections and have struggled to get answers.

Since Jan. 1, residential recycling in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon has been managed by Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit organization, instead of Peel Region. The switch is part of the province's move to extended producer responsibility, under which the businesses that supply packaging and paper are financially responsible for recycling it. Green For Life Environmental (GFL) is the collection contractor.

Missed pickups and unanswered calls

Mayor Carolyn Parrish said she hoped to see improved service soon "because this was unacceptable," adding that council was being patient because it was the first round of collection, according to an INsauga.com report on the meeting. Parrish also criticized Peel Region's communication about the change, which she said left many residents frustrated after unsuccessful attempts to get in touch.

Ward 6 Coun. Joe Horneck said he had seen hundreds of comments on social media from residents whose recycling was missed or who could not reach Peel Region or Circular Materials, which he said residents found "very unreachable." He called the lack of information from Circular Materials that councillors could pass on to residents "a complete failure."

That was an easy layup they should have had, and no material was provided to us of any substance that we could've put in all of our newsletters.

— Joe Horneck, Ward 6 councillor

Ward 4 Coun. and Deputy Mayor John Kovac said he had also received complaints, including one about a condominium where two scheduled January recycling days went by without a pickup. He described the rollout as "a little bit of a rocky start" but said he was optimistic things would improve with more time.

Parrish replied that she always likes optimism, but asked: "why is it I don't feel it on this project?"

What stays the same

Peel Region has said residents keep their current blue bins and that collection days do not change. Garbage, organics and yard waste collection stay with the region, and Community Recycling Centres continue to accept recycling. The provincial program also makes the list of accepted materials the same across Ontario, which means some items, including paper coffee cups, can now go in Peel blue bins.

Where to report a problem

Peel Region directs residents to report missed recycling pickups to GFL, either online or at 1-877-268-4351, and warns callers to expect long wait times. The new system is now in its second week of collection.