Blue Bag Recycling

We provide residents unlimited blue bag recycling collected weekly. We also host several special collection events including Christmas Tree Collection, Free Compost, Household Hazardous Roundup, and Take-It or Leave-It.

Curbside collection requirements

Follow these instructions to ensure you blue bag is collected.

  • Place your blue bag recycling curbside by 7 a.m.
  • Clean tin cans and plastic tubs before putting them in the blue bag.
  • Ensure there is at least one metre distance from all obstacles such as fences, cars, other carts or blue bags.
  • The recycling program only accepts plastic #1 and #2. Check for a triangular symbol with a number in it to find out which stream it should be disposed in.

Plastic number symbols

illustration of 1 metre distances between carts

When is my collection day?

  • Tuesday if you live north of 100 Avenue (Highway 642) or in South Glens.

Contact us to report

  • A broken or damaged cart
  • A cart that has gone missing
  • A missed garbage, organics or recycling collection

Contact Public Works or call 780-939-2590.

Where does it go?

If you are not sure if an item should be placed in your garbage cart, organics cart or recycle bag, check out our Waste Wizard.

What can I place in the blue bag?

Changes to global purchasing of recyclable material means that some items are no longer accepted in your blue bag. Unaccepted items in your blue bag causes contamination which can result in the bag going to the landfill. Learn more about what is acceptable or not allowed in the blue bag.

 My recycling goes in a plastic blue bag, can we use a blue cart system?
  • Clear blue recycling bags are see-through so collectors can quickly scan the contents for contaminants and unacceptable materials.
  • There are no limits on blue bags collected per household. Blue recycling bins limit the amount or recycling to the bin size.
  • Right now the benefits of using blue bag for collection outweigh the benefits of not using them.
 Pizza boxes
  •  Store bought pizza boxes are accepted in the blue bag.
  • Delivery pizza boxes can go in your grey waste cart or your green organics cart. The boxes are contaminated with grease and food matter and are not accepted in the blue bag program.
  • Special Instructions: place the pizza box in the bottom of the cart as a liner. This will assist in your organics cart being completely emptied every collection day.
 Shredded paper
  • Shredded paper can go in your green organics cart. It clogs the equipment at recycling centers so it is not accepted there.
 Caps and lids need to be removed from hard plastic bottles, containers and tubs
  • Caps and lids can be made with a different type of plastic than the container, they go in the garbage.
  • Leaving caps on can cause the item to be unmarketable and contaminate the blue bag.
  • Mold can potentially grow in the container contaminating the product and entire blue bag.
 Disposable to-go coffee cups
  • To-go coffee cups are made from paper but the inside is lined with a wax coating. Because of this they are not recyclable and not compostable so dispose of them in the garbage.
 Glass, I thought it was recyclable?
  • Currently there is no international market for the processing of glass.
  • If glass cannot be reused in the home it must go in the garbage.
 Recycle your batteries
  •  You can take used batteries to the annual Household Hazardous Waste Round Up.
  • You can take used batteries to the following retailers to be recycled at no cost.
    • Best Buy, Home Depot, London Drugs, Lowes and Staples