Can I Recycle This? Here’s the Scoop on Calgary’s Residential Recycling Program

Blue carts have become a fixture in back lanes and driveways across the city. Calgarians in more than 365,000 households have been tossing their residential recycling into The City of Calgary’s Blue Cart recycling program every week for nearly 17 years. Still, many of us aren’t sure if we’re getting it right. Here are some answers to common recycling conundrums.

Do recyclables actually get recycled?

“The answer is, with a giant exclamation mark, yes!” says Sharon Howland, leader of program management with the City’s Waste and Recycling unit. More than 55,000 tons of materials are recycled through the program per year. The City works with partners to manage, sort and market the recyclable materials back into the circular economy. “These organizations want to make sure that your recyclables are turned into something new. We’re not just collecting to throw in the landfill,” she says.

What are common recycling mistakes?

Around 15 per cent of unrecyclable materials are diverted from blue carts each year. Items like toys, garden hoses and chip bags should go in the garbage. Among the most harmful contaminants are batteries and devices that contain them. “A lot of people don’t realize that a battery can cause a fire because it still contains energy,” says Howland. To safely dispose of batteries, go to recycleyourbatteries.ca or visit a City Eco Centre — where you can also recycle clothing and textiles, which are other items commonly misplaced in blue carts. Check the What Goes Where search tool (calgary.ca/waste/what-goes-where) for how to properly recycle, compost and dispose of hundreds of items.

If I don’t clean my peanut butter jar, am I contaminating my whole blue cart?

Recyclables need to be empty, clean and dry so they can be sorted properly at the recycling facility and so they don’t get other recyclables wet and dirty. This ensures that manufacturers receive quality recyclables. That said, your jar doesn’t have to be spotless. Just scrape out the food bits, then rinse with water. And the City does sort items to remove items that are dirty or not recyclable.

What about pizza boxes?

Clean pizza boxes are recyclable. Dirty pizza boxes and liners go in compost carts. Either way, flatten them.

Does it really matter if we put the wrong items in recycling?

The beauty of Calgary’s Blue Cart program is its simplicity — everything acceptable goes in one bin. But putting in the wrong items can jam equipment, create safety risks and spoil good recyclables, sending them to the landfill instead. So yeah, it matters.

For more info, download the Calgary Garbage Day app at calgary.ca/waste/residential/blue-cart.

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