Calgary blue cart recycling expands Wednesday to include aerosols, tubes, foam and flexible packaging
Starting October 1, residents can recycle toothpaste tubes, hairspray, egg cartons and snack wrappers in their regular blue carts. Multi-family buildings are now included in the expanded program.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Calgary's blue cart recycling program expands October 1 to include four new categories of materials, shifting more of the recycling cost to manufacturers rather than residents.
The expansion adds flexible bags and wrappers (snack packaging, pouches), foam packaging (egg cartons, meat trays, takeout containers), tubes (toothpaste, deodorant, lotion) and aerosols (hairspray, dry shampoo, sunscreen, cooking spray). Recyclables must be empty and clean before placing them in the bin. Guidelines for paper, cardboard, food cans, plastic and glass containers remain unchanged.
The program is part of Alberta's extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy, which makes manufacturers responsible for collecting, sorting, processing, and partially funding the recycling of packaging waste. Single-family homes already benefited from EPR when it took effect last April, saving residents just over $7 per month. The expansion now includes multi-family properties for the first time.
Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit, manages the operational collection in Calgary. Blue cart waste is taken to a GFL sorting facility in Rocky View County, which recently upgraded to handle the new materials. Most other Canadian provinces and territories have implemented or plan to implement EPR for packaging. Ontario expanded its blue bin list at the end of last year.
When will multi-family properties receive their first blue carts?
How will the city handle buildings that already have older recycling systems?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
What four new materials can Calgary residents recycle starting October 1, 2026?
Flexible bags and wrappers (snack packaging, pouches), foam packaging (egg cartons, meat trays, takeout containers), tubes (toothpaste, deodorant, lotion), and aerosols (hairspray, dry shampoo, sunscreen, cooking spray) can now go in Calgary's blue carts.
Which properties are newly included in Calgary's expanded blue cart program?
Multi-family properties are now included in the expanded program for the first time, whereas single-family homes already participated when extended producer responsibility took effect in April.
