Caution Updated:

  • New! City-wide Stage 4 outdoor water restrictions are in effect and indoor water conservation is needed while crews connect the new Bearspaw South Feeder Main to the existing water system. Learn more about water restrictions

Put Your Holiday Waste In The Right Place

More memories, less waste

The holidays bring joyful moments, cherished recipes and thoughtful gifts—but also 25% more waste. From decorations to food scraps and wrapping paper, this season, let’s celebrate in ways that create lasting memories with less waste.

  • Holiday collection schedule

    For the holidays, Friday cart pickup will move to the following Monday.

    Instead of the usual Friday pickup, your blue, black and/or green cart will be collected on: Monday, Dec. 28 and Monday, Jan. 4.

    Check your schedule and sign up for reminders.

Grandpa's gift

Auntie's recipe

Low waste gift ideas

Create more memories, less waste! Activities together or gifts you make yourself are always special and help reduce the extra waste created during the holidays.

Give experiences or donations

Give tickets to a play, concert or sporting event. Or donate to a favourite charity instead of giving material items.

Make something special

Make edible gifts like cookies or jam.

Secret Santa gift exchange

Set up a Secret Santa gift exchange with friends and family to limit the number of presents needed.

Wrap wise

Repurposing and reusing products for gift wrapping can help reduce waste during the holidays.

Get creative with unique wrapping

Wrap gifts with dish towels, in jars or other household items you can reuse later.

Repurpose paper products by using newspapers and flyers to wrap gifts and then recycle after.

Fabric gift bags

Start a new gift-wrapping tradition by making gift bags that can be reused every year.

Reuse gift boxes and bags

Most gift bags, boxes and tissue paper can be reused multiple times.

Save your gift wrap to reuse for your next holiday or other celebrations.

Holiday entertainment

Entertaining over the holidays doesn’t have to be expensive or wasteful with these tips.

Low waste gatherings

If hosting a gathering but need a festive platter, punch bowl or other supplies – borrow don’t buy.

Use reusable dishware to serve food and avoid disposable tableware.

Encourage guests to bring reusable containers instead of using plastic wrap, or tin foil.

Meal planning and grocery shopping

Check what you have at home and plan your meals to ensure you are buying the right quantity of items.

Plan portions appropriately. Prepare only what you and your guests will eat.

Once your planning is done, make a detailed grocery list and buy only what you need.

Plan for leftovers

Before the holidays, make room in your fridge. Use up any food that needs to be eaten before adding new holiday leftovers.

Start a broth bag. Save bones and vegetable ends and tops in a resealable bag or container.

Share and freeze leftovers.

Holiday decorations

There are many beautiful ways to decorate your home for the holidays without buying. 

Borrow from nature

Look no further than your own backyard for inspiration – pinecones, branches, leaves and twigs can be used for decorations. This year, make your wreath or centerpiece with nature’s greenery. It’s easy, smells good and compostable!

Shop with intention

When buying new decorations, choose quality items you’ll want to use year after year. Mix these with home made and nostalgic items to build a collection of decorations you love.

Repurpose decorations

Tired of your decorations? Host a decoration swap with friends or family.

How to sort your holiday waste

Don’t take a break from recycling and composting during the busiest season. Put your holiday waste in the right place. Not sure what goes where? Check below or use the What Goes Where search tool to find out where to recycle, compost, or dispose of your everyday items, and how to properly prepare them.

Paper and cardboard

Place the following items in your blue cart:

  • Wrapping and tissue paper 
  • Greeting cards
  • Paper gift bags
  • Boxes of all kinds
  • Paper shipping envelopes

Tips:

  • Crumple your wrapping paper. This makes it easier for the recycling sorting equipment to identify and sort the paper.
  • Flatten your cardboard to make more space in your blue bin.
  • Remove all ribbons, bows and strings, save these to reuse for next year.

Flexible plastic bags and wrappers

Place the following items in your blue cart:

  • Chip bags and snack wrappers
  • Food pouches 
  • Cellophane gift wrap and plastic gift bags 
  • Bubble wrap and plastic bubble mailers
  • Shipping pillows – release the air inside.
  • Plastic shipping bags – most new items come in a clear plastic bags for shipping purposes.
 

Foam packaging

Place the following items in your blue cart:

  • Foam cushion packaging (often used to protect electronics, furniture, etc.)
  • Foam egg cartons
  • Foam meat trays
  • Foam take-out containers and cups 
  • Foam packing peanuts (place peanuts in a clear bag and tie closed)
  • White, coloured, and black foam 

Food scraps and food-dirty paper

Compost turkey bones, vegetable peelings, napkins, and food-dirty paper plates in your green cart.

Tips:

  • No plastic bags or packaging materials
  • Use only certified compostable bags
  • Put cooking oil, fats, gravy, leftover ham glaze, and grease in your green cart. Soak up with a paper towel or solidify fats and grease by letting cool at room temperature or in the fridge. 

Batteries, electronics and battery-powered toys

Batteries, electronics and battery-powered toys need to be separated and taken to different location for safe handling.

Placing batteries in any of your bins is a fire hazard. Take all types of batteries, electronics, and battery-powered toys to a City Eco Centre for free. 

Find more free drop-off locations for single-use, rechargeable, and e-mobility batteries at recycleyourbatteries.ca.

Tip: Remove batteries from toys when possible and keep them separate for safe disposal. 

Christmas lights

Take your burned-out Christmas lights to a City Eco Centre for free.

Keep tanglers out of the recycling! String lights can wrap around other recyclables at the recycling facility, creating a giant "hairball" that stops the sorting process and is a hazard to clean up. 

Can't get to an Eco Centre? Put all types of Christmas lights in your black cart as garbage.

Holiday cleanup

No one looks forward to post-holiday cleanup, but these tips can make it easier and help reduce waste.

Do Sort and reorganize gift wrapping

  • After opening gifts, gather crumpled wrapping in a recycling bin or cardboard box to sort through.
  • Small amounts of tape and glitter from paper wrapping paper is okay – don’t stress about removing all of it.
  • Keep and store any reusable items like ribbons, bows and gift bags for next year.

Do Visit a City Eco Centre after the holidays

  • Collect all your broken toys, electronics, dead batteries, and Christmas lights and make one convenient trip to a City Eco Centre.
  • Gather old or damaged tablecloths, cloth napkins, and other holiday linens and bring them to an Eco Centre for textile recycling.

Do Compost your real tree

  • Remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel, string and tree stand, cut your tree and put in your green cart. Or take to a Christmas tree drop-off location. Learn more.

Do Use Garbage tags if needed

  • Your holiday cleanup may have created extra trash. Remember extra garbage bags beside the black cart require tags.

Do Pass along items in good condition

  • Have holiday decorations, toys, clothing or household items you no longer need but are still in good condition? Give them to family or friends, donate them to a local charity, or list them on a community buy-and-sell service. 
  • Find options using the What Goes Where search tool.  

Do Use Community Recycling Depots