Edmonton is actively shaping its future of waste management through strategic planning and community engagement.
The City's initiatives are guided by the 25-Year Waste Strategy and implemented through actionable plans like the Waste Reduction Roadmap.
The Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) Waste Roadmap will identify actions to reduce waste generated by businesses and organizations between 2027-2030. Proposed actions aim to rescue surplus food, divert food waste from landfill, and reuse and divert construction and demolition waste.
The Waste Reduction Roadmap, or Roadmap ‘30 will identify new actions to help increase residential and public event waste reduction between 2026 - 2030. Proposed actions include programs to help people share, swap, fix and reuse items, and working with organizations and people to find ways to reuse and share food so it does not go to waste.
To create these roadmaps, the City engaged with staff, the public and organizations across Edmonton. The input gathered helped outline targeted actions and measurable outcomes. Both roadmaps will be brought to City Council for approval.
Approved by City Council in September 2019, the 25-year Waste Strategy will help the city keep more waste out of the landfill and maintain stable waste rates. We’re aligning Edmonton with internationally-recognized best practices, putting more emphasis on waste prevention and waste reduction, and redesigning our services to help all Edmontonians play a bigger role in Edmonton’s zero-waste future.
What's in the Strategy?
The 25-year Waste Strategy has several transformative recommendations that we are in the process of implementing.
- Adopt a Zero Waste Framework (complete)
- Implement source-separated organics in City-owned and operated buildings, facilities and attractions (complete)
- Introduce source-separated organics to the residential sector: citywide Edmonton Cart Rollout (complete)
- Expand source-separated organics to the multi-unit residential sector and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional sector (in progress)
- Cease commercial collections (complete)
- Develop and implement a waste reduction roadmap for 2021-24, including actions to limit single-use items (complete)
- Participate in efforts to promote Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies (complete)
- Develop and implement a second waste reduction roadmap for 2026-30 (in progress)
- Develop and implement a roadmap for non-residential (Industrial, Commercial and Institutional or ICI) waste management (in progress)
