Green Cart Food and Yard Waste program
We provide food and yard waste collection to single family homes.
Green carts are picked up weekly from April to October and every two weeks from November to March.
Please set your cart out on your collection day by 7 a.m.
Fill your green cart first, then use paper yard waste bags and roll tops closed. Place bags 0.5m (2 ft) to the side of the cart for pickup.
If some of your extra bags are not picked up, store them on your property until the next green cart collection.
What really happens to your green cart waste?
Food and yard waste collected through the Green Cart program is turned into nutrient-rich compost for use by farmers, gardeners and landscapers.
Separating food scraps into your green bin helps them break down properly and turn into nutrient-rich compost. When tossed in the garbage instead, they end up buried in the landfill, where they can’t break down the way they should.
Follow these tips for separating food scraps and using your green cart:
- Remove food from its packaging before putting it in your green cart.
- Use a kitchen pail or reuse any container with a lid (like an ice cream bucket) to store food scraps until you throw them in your green cart.
- You can control odours and keep your cart clean by using a certified compostable bag, paper bag or newspaper liner in your kitchen pail.
- Use a small amount of baking soda in your kitchen pail to prevent odours.
Check calgary.ca/foodscraps for more tips to make your green bin a winner!
Find your pickup schedule
Print a calendar
- Type your address in the search box
- Select Get a calendar
- You can print a calendar (currently experiencing schedule issues when printed); or
- Add an online calendar
Sign up for free reminders
- Type your address in search box
- Select Get a reminder
- Chose type of notice
- Add your contact details
Download the Calgary Garbage Day app
Never miss a collection day by downloading the Calgary Garbage Day app onto your mobile device.
What can go in your Green cart
Using your Green cart
Customer self-service
Request cart for a new home
Report a missing or damaged cart
For more details, see Replacing Your Cart.
About Green Cart Program
Who receives a cart?
We provide green carts to single family homes up to four units, as long as they are not part of an apartment or condominium.
Can I get a replacement kitchen pail?
The City does not provide replacement pails. You can purchase kitchen pails at any big box or hardware retailer. You can also reuse any container with a lid that seals, such as an ice cream pail.
Green Cart Fee
Your monthly cart program fees are not a "per-collection" fee but cover all the components of the residential cart programs, including providing carts to Calgarians, pickup from your home, composting of material as well as education and program support.
The property tax subsidy has been removed from the Green Cart fee. To learn more, visit Residential Waste Rates.
How composting works
The Calgary Composting Facility is the largest of its kind in Canada. The facility produces high quality compost collected from the green cart program and the biosolids program.
Take an online tour of the facility and learn how composting works.
Other disposal options
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Take your residential waste to one of the City Eco Centres to recycle, reuse or dispose of oversized or large quantities of waste.
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Find a community recycling bin location near you.
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Recycle your old and unused electronics for free.
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Dispose of household hazardous waste at our drop-off locations.