A project to examine the efficiency of various collection methods for recyclable materials was launched with the participation of 1,000 households in Kitchener, Ont. Organizers noted particularly high participation rates from homes that were given a blue box bearing the message “WE RECYCLE.” Originally scheduled for six months, the project continued uninterrupted and went citywide in 1983. Blue box recycling programs were adopted in other provinces in the late 1980s and early 1990s.