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Learn how to sort and set out your recycling, and what happens to it once it leaves your curb.
Cans, tins and trays
Clean and empty, leave lids on, labels ok
Bottles and jars
Clean and empty, leave lids on, labels ok
Containers, cups and bags
Clean and empty, leave lids on, labels ok
Stretch test: Pull on the plastic bag. Does it stretch? If so, put it in your recycling. If not, put it in your garbage.
Clean and empty, leave lids on, labels ok
These items can also be returned to a Bottle Depot for a refund.
Still unsure if an item can be recycled?
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Put your recyclables in a see-through blue bag. Set it out by 7am on your collection day.
Flatten and bundle large boxes with tape. Place under your blue bag or inside an assembled cardboard box.
Learn About Curbside Cart Collection
Put your recyclables in your building’s blue recycling bin. They can be loose or in blue bags.
If you do not have a recycling bin, use a Community Recycling Depot. All apartment and condo buildings will have a recycling bin by 2027.
Your collector brings your recyclables to a sorting facility at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. Machinery sorts the items based on size, shape, weight and other factors. Some sorting is done by hand.
Sorted materials are sold to buyers in Canada and around the world. This includes companies that further refine materials, and manufacturers that use them to create new products.
The recycling industry has changed in recent years, but there is still tremendous value to recycling. Every year we recycle thousands of tonnes of material, saving natural resources and energy.
Empty and rinse containers. A quick rinse is enough for most items. This prevents food residue from contaminating and ruining other recyclables.
Keep items loose. When different materials are nested inside of each other, they are difficult - or impossible - to separate. Putting items loosely in your recycling allows our sorting machinery to do its job.
Follow the accepted items list. Putting the wrong items in your recycling can contaminate other materials, damage machinery and harm workers. Items like garden hoses and string lights get tangled in sorting equipment, while electronics and lithium-ion batteries can pose a serious fire risk.
These items seem recyclable, but aren’t accepted in our program. Put them in your garbage:
Aluminum foil wrap: it often has food residue, which gets soaked up by paper and ruins good recyclables. It is also small and light, making it a challenge to sort.
Coffee cups: most have a waterproof liner made of plastic, which is difficult to separate from paper. There is also a lack of markets for coffee cups because they cause problems in the paper pulping process.
K-cups and coffee pods (including those labeled as recyclable): these are too small to be sorted and can contaminate other recyclables if coffee grounds are left inside. Some manufacturers have take-back programs.
Shredded paper: it falls through sorting screens and piles up on machinery, creating a safety hazard. Take it to a recycling depot (it will go directly to a buyer, skipping the sorting facility).
Styrofoam: it isn’t compatible with our sorting machinery and can contaminate other materials. Take large pieces, like packing blocks, to an Eco Station for recycling (free drop off).
The symbol on the bottom of many plastic items is called a “resin code”. It helps industry workers identify what plastic (resin) an item is made of.
We don’t use these symbols to determine what can be recycled in Edmonton. Our ability to recycle an item depends on more than the plastic type; it also depends on our ability to sort, sell and transport it to a buyer.
Please recycle your plastic containers, disposable plastic cups and stretchy plastic bags. These are compatible with our sorting machinery and tend to be made of plastics we have markets for. Put all other plastic items in the garbage (even if they have a resin code) unless you can reuse them or return them to a manufacturer through a take-back program.
Practice the 3 R’s in order: reduce, reuse then recycle. Recycling is good, but it still takes a lot of energy to collect, sort, ship and reprocess recyclables. Reducing waste at the source is always the best option.
Some companies have programs to ‘take back’ their worn-out products or packaging for recycling. These are often items that are not accepted in household recycling programs like textiles, pens and cosmetic containers. Information on how to participate can be found on a company's website.