What changed
The City of Calgary announced that starting October 1, 2026, Calgarians can recycle more packaging materials through their blue carts and community recycling depots. The change comes as Alberta expands residential recycling programs under its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.
Newly accepted materials include:
- Foam packaging such as foam blocks, takeout containers and egg cartons.
- Food and body aerosols such as cooking spray, sunscreen and hairspray.
- Flexible plastic bags and wrappers such as chip bags and granola bar wrappers.
- Tubes such as toothpaste and deodorant containers.
The City also set out how to prepare materials: all recyclables should be empty, clean and loose before being placed in blue carts. Empty containers of liquids and food residue, rinse or wipe them out, and place recyclables loose in the cart, not in bags.
The City of Calgary will continue collecting blue carts on the current collection schedule, with no changes to pickup service. The City says residents will not see any changes to their ENMAX bills when the new recycling changes take effect.
What the official text says
> Newly accepted materials include: Foam packaging such as foam blocks, takeout containers and egg cartons. Food and body aerosols such as cooking spray, sunscreen and hairspray. Flexible plastic bags and wrappers such as chip bags and granola bar wrappers. Tubes such as toothpaste and deodorant containers.
Who is affected
The expanded program applies to both single-family households and multi-family properties. Multi-family property managers and condo boards can register with Circular Materials to access free recycling collection services and the expanded list of accepted materials.
Province-wide, residents across Alberta will be able to recycle the same accepted packaging materials, regardless of where they live.
When it starts
The newly accepted materials take effect on October 1, 2026.
The first phase of Alberta's EPR regulations came into effect on April 1, 2025. The second phase expands the range of materials accepted in residential recycling programs.
Under the EPR framework, producers are taking on most of the costs of residential recycling. As a result, The City's Blue Cart fee for single-family households was reduced on April 1, 2025, saving households $7.17 annually.
Official source
https://newsroom.calgary.ca/calgarians-can-recycle-more-starting-october-1/
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