Blue Cart Recycling
	Blue Cart Recycling FAQ
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Blue Cart Recycling FAQ

 

CART DIMENSIONS :  107 cm high, 59 cm wide and 73 cm deep.

1. Who receives Blue Cart service?
2. How does Blue Cart recycling work?
3. What can I recycle?
4. Where do I place my blue cart
5. How is Blue Cart recycling going?
6. Will the community depots remain in place?
7. What should I do with excess and oversized recyclables?
8. What is the fee for service and can I opt out?

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1. Who receives Blue Cart service?

The City of Calgary provides blue cart service to single-family residences including residential buildings with up to four units.

Multi-family residences do not receive Blue Cart recycling service - this includes residential buildings with more than four units and multi-family complexes. If you do not receive the service, you will not be charged.

Farms, acreages, non-residential and commercial buildings do not receive service.

If you are eligible for Blue Cart service but have not received a cart, or have recently moved into a new home, please call 3-1-1.

2. How does Blue Cart recycling work?

Blue Cart service collects paper, cans, cardboard, glass, plastic containers and plastic bags from single-family residences.

Blue Cart collection is weekly on the same day and general location as garbage collection (back lane or front curb).

Put all recyclables together in the cart - no sorting is required. 

Residents receiving the service are charged on their monthly City of Calgary (ENMAX) utility bill.

Community Recycling Depots will remain in place.

3. What can I recycle?

How to prepare your materials

• Clean items of food and other residue
• Place all recyclables in the cart - no sorting is required
• It's okay to leave labels on metal food cans, glass bottles, plastic containers, etc.
• Remove lids and caps and place in cart
• Place metal food can lids inside can or leave attached
• Material shouldn't be in bags, with two exceptions:
  • Bundle plastic bags into one plastic bag and tie handles
  • Place shredded paper in a clear plastic bag and tie handles.

Yes – Place these items in your blue cart

Materials	Acceptable items	Preparation tips	Not acceptable
Plastic containers	Clean plastic containers with the recycling symbol 1 – 7 Liquid detergent, fabric softener and shampoo bottles, plastic clamshell trays (not StyrofoamTM), yogurt and margarine containers. Plastic bags (e.g. grocery bags, plastic food bags (Ziploc bags), plastic wrap (Saran WrapTM), bubble wrap). Bundle plastic bags into one bag and tie handles.	Clean items of food and other residue Only include clean plastic containers with the recycling symbol 1 – 7 No polystyrene foam  (e.g. StyrofoamTM) Bundle plastic bags into one plastic bag and tie handles Remove lids and caps and place in cart separately It's o.k. to leave labels on	No polystyrene foam such as StyrofoamTM) No items made from more than one material or type of plastic No plastics that are not a container or a plastic bag (e.g., laundry baskets, plastic pens). No plastics without a 1-7 recycling symbol Containers need to be free of food. Please clean them prior to placing in the blue cart. Do not include containers in the blue cart that have a hazardous or corrosive symbol.
Paper and cardboard	Newspapers and paper inserts Catalogues and magazines Paper (e.g. letters, envelopes, greeting cards, brochures, non-foil gift wrap, paper bags) Cardboard (e.g. cereal boxes, pizza boxes, tissue boxes, paper towel and toilet paper tubes) Telephone books and paperback books Shredded paper (in a clear plastic bag and tie handles) Tetra Paks	Clean items of food and other residue Place shredded paper in a clear plastic bag and tie handles	No hardcover books No disposable drink cups Containers need to be free of food and other residues. Please clean them prior to placing in the blue cart.
Glass	Clean jars and bottles	Clean items of food and other residue Remove lids and caps, place separately in cart.	No ceramics, mirrors, coffee cups, tempered glass (e.g. Pyrex or windshields), drinking glasses or window glass Containers need to be free of food. Please clean them prior to placing in the blue cart.
Metal food cans and foil	Clean metal food and beverage cans Metal lids and caps Clean aluminum foil, aluminum plates and containers	Clean items of food and other residue Place metal food can lids inside the can or attached. It's o.k. to leave labels on	No foil gift wrap No housewares (e.g., frying pans, coat hangers) Containers need to be free of food. Please clean them prior to placing in the blue cart. No hazardous materials. If a container has both a hazardous materials symbol and recycling symbol, do not place it in the blue cart. Electronics such as televisions, computer monitors, CPUs and printers are only accepted at electronic recycling depots throughout the city.
Beverage containers	Refundable beverage containers can be returned to bottle depots for deposit refunds. However, they will also be accepted and recycled through the Blue Cart program. Milk containers are now  refundable beverage containers. Juice cartons Wine and beer bottles Water bottles Beverage cans Tetra Paks (juice, beverage, etc.)	Clean items of food and other residue Refundable beverage containers can be returned to bottle depots for refunds. However, they will also be accepted and recycled through the Blue Cart program. As of June 2009, milk containers are a refundable beverage container. See the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling website for more information.

No - Items that cannot go in your cart

Hazardous materials	Paint cans, aerosol cans, lighters, batteries or oil. Please visit calgary.ca/waste for drop-off locations and proper disposal locations. Please note, if a container has both a hazardous materials symbol and recycling symbol, do not place it in the blue cart.
Plastics that are not a container	Laundry baskets, pens, etc.
Plastics without a number	Plastics without a 1-7 recycling code symbol
Mixed packaging	Mixed packaging (e.g. deodorant sticks, toothpaste tubes, frozen juice containers) or items made from more than one type of material.
Polystyrene foam	StyrofoamTM packing materials (blocks or peanuts), StyrofoamTM cups, or StyrofoamTM food containers, even if labelled with recycling symbol number 6.
Electronics	Electronics such as televisions, computer monitors, CPUs and printers are only accepted at electronic recycling depots throughout the city.
Contaminated materials	Containers need to be free of food. Please clean them prior to placing in blue cart.
Toys or sporting goods	Please do not place any toys or sporting goods in the blue cart.
Housewares	Frying pans, drinking glasses, wire coat hangers, mirrors, light bulbs, dishes, ceramics, utensils, etc.
Shoes or clothing	Please do not place shoes or any articles of clothing in the blue cart.
Food and organics	Food, grass clippings and yard waste.
Garbage or Building materials	Do not put bags of trash in your blue cart. No wood, drywall nails, tile or concrete.

4. Where do I place my blue cart?

Set out cart in the same place as your garbage on your regular garbage collection day.  Leave space around your blue cart so the automated arm on the collection truck can grab it.
If you have back lane collection, place your cart in the back lane.
If you have front garbage collection, place your cart in the front at the curb.

Back lane

Park it: Cart must be at least 30 cm  (1 foot) from back hedge, fence or garage and on level ground.

Point it: Point lid arrows towards the centre of lane.  Close the lid.

Space it: Ensure cart is 1m (3 feet) clear of all obstacles and not blocking traffic. Please ensure that there is 3 m (10 feet) of space directly above your cart.

• Set out cart by 7 a.m. on your garbage day.
• You can leave your cart in lane after collection, provided it is not blocking traffic.
• Carts will not be collected from enclosures

Front street

Park it: Place wheels against curb.

Point it: Point lid arrows towards the centre of street.  Close the lid.

Space it: Ensure cart is 1m (3 feet) clear of all obstacles and not blocking traffic. Please ensure that there is 3 m (10 feet) of space directly above your cart.

• Set out cart by 7 a.m. on your garbage day.
• Remove cart from street by 7 p.m. on your collection day.
• NOTE: There is no change to your garbage collection location. Please do not place garbage bags in street.

5. How is Blue Cart recycling going?

Blue Cart recycling has significantly increased the amount of material that is being recycled. From start of service on April 21, 2009 to the end of September, over 30,000 tonnes of recyclables were collected – enough to fill almost 10,000 collection trucks. Parked end to end, the trucks would reach from the steps of City Hall to Canmore (102 km). All community recycling depots are now converted to accept plastics and other recyclables without sorting required.

Participation in the program is strong, cart placement is good, and over 95 per cent of the material being placed in the carts is correct and recyclable. The most common items that are not recyclable and are showing up in carts are coat hangers, scrap metal and propane and helium tanks. Please remember that the only metal that can be recycled in your blue cart or at community depots are food and beverage cans, aluminum foil and aluminum plates.

6. Will the community depots remain in place?

Yes. Community Recycling Depots will remain in place.

The Community Recycling Depots have been converted to accept plastics and do not require sorting of materials.  The depots accept all of the same materials as the Blue Cart service. 

7. What should I do with excess and oversized recyclables?

Only the materials in your cart will be collected and recycled. 

If you have more recyclables than will fit into your cart, keep them until the following week or take them to the Community Recycling Depots. 

Please do not overstuff or cram materials in your cart. They need to be loose enough to easily fall out when cart is tipped during collection. 

Oversized recyclables can be taken to your local Community Recycling Depot and placed in bins there.

8. What is the fee for service and can I opt out?

Service Charge
Households receiving the service will be charged monthly on their utility bill. The Blue Cart recycling charge is not optional if your household is eligible. If you do not receive the service, you will not be charged.

Monthly rates are based on a thirty (30) day period. The amount billed is calculated by dividing the applicable monthly rate by thirty (30) to derive a daily rate and multiplying the daily rate by the actual number of days in the billing period.

The 2010 rate for Blue Cart recycling is $8.40 per 30 days.

Billing
The monthly Blue Cart charge will appear on your City of Calgary (ENMAX) utility bill and will start once your service begins. Billing is based on days of service.   

Opting out
The Blue Cart recycling charge is not optional if your household is eligible for the service.

Recycling Depots Electronics Recycling Organics Recycling Tire Recycling Household Chemical Drop-off Program Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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