Starting from Thursday, residents of Calgary will have the opportunity to recycle a wider range of materials in their blue bins, including various types of household packaging and paper items. The city has decided to enhance the list of recyclable items to now include specific flexible bags and wrappers, foam packaging, tubes, and aerosols.
Among the newly eligible items are snack packaging, wrappers, pouches, foam packaging like egg cartons, meat trays, and takeout containers, as well as tubes for toothpaste, deodorant, and lotion. Additionally, aerosol canisters used for hairspray, dry shampoo, sunscreen, and cooking spray are now accepted for recycling in the blue bins.
This expansion is part of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) recycling program at the provincial level, which holds manufacturers accountable for managing packaging waste once it is no longer in use. According to the city’s website, under EPR, producers are required to collect, sort, process, partly fund, and recycle the packaging waste they generate.
Circular Materials, a national non-profit organization, is overseeing the operational aspects of recycling collection in Calgary. Allen Langdon, the CEO, emphasized the importance of ensuring products like toothpaste and hairspray tubes are thoroughly emptied before recycling to minimize residue. He highlighted the high recyclability of this type of plastic and encouraged households not to let minor residue hinder the recycling process.
The city reported that EPR has led to reduced recycling fees for residents by shifting some of the costs to producers. Single-family homes have saved over $7 per month since the program’s implementation last year. The EPR system aims to establish a standardized list of recyclable materials across the province.
Ontario recently followed a similar path by expanding its list of eligible items for blue bin recycling. Most other Canadian provinces and territories have either implemented or are planning to introduce some form of EPR recycling for packaging materials.
Recyclable materials collected in the blue carts are transported to the GFL sorting facility in Rocky View County, which has been upgraded to accommodate the new recyclable items. The city emphasized that recyclables must be empty and clean before being placed in the blue bin to facilitate their transformation into new products without causing damage to sorting equipment.
While the guidelines for recycling materials such as paper, cardboard, food cans, and plastic and glass containers remain unchanged, the expanded list of items for blue bin recycling in Calgary reflects the ongoing efforts to promote sustainable waste management practices.
