Green Cart Food and Yard Waste program

Green cart food and yard waste

The City of Calgary provides composting through the Green Cart program. This service is available to single-family residential homes. 

Compostable items include food scraps and yard waste like leaves, branches and grass clippings. 

The program works together with the Blue Cart and Black Cart programs to help Calgarians manage their waste responsibly.

Green cart tips

  • Weekly pickup from April - Oct. Every other week pickup from Nov. - March.

  • Separate food from packaging before composting.

  • Fill your cart first, then use paper yard waste bags and roll tops closed.

  • Set out green cart by 7 a.m. on your collection day.

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 composting pickup schedule

Use the scheduling tool to find your blue, green and black cart collection days, sign up to get free pickup day reminders or print a physical calendar.

Find your pickup day

  • Type your address in the search box.
  • For holiday changes, see the holiday schedule.

Sign up for free reminders

  • Type your address in the search box
  • Select Get a reminder
  • Choose preferred notice type (email, phone etc.)
  • Add contact details and preferred day and time for your weekly reminders

Print a calendar

  • Type your address in the search box
  • Select Get a calendar
  • You can print a calendar or add an online calendar (Google, iCal, Outlook)

Download the Calgary Garbage Day app

  • Get weekly notifications directly on your smartphone.
Download on the App Store
Get it on Play Store
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Cart customer service

For cart customer service including:

View all cart customer service information

Don't know where to put an item?

What Goes Where

Use our online search tool to look up recycling, compost, and safe disposal options for hundreds of items.

Look up items for disposal

Green cart information

Guides and booklets

Download and print our helpful information sheets so you can easily reference what to do with your waste. Keep on the fridge or where you store your waste bins.

What can and can't go in your green cart

How to use your carts guide

What Goes Where one-page guide

Using your other carts

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