What goes in the blue cart? Calgary recycling guide

The blue cart is collected weekly, year-round in Calgary. Here's the full list of what belongs inside, what doesn't, and the mistakes that get carts tagged and skipped.

✅ Yes — put these in the blue cart

Paper & cardboard

• Newspaper, office paper and envelopes
• Magazines and catalogues
• Cardboard boxes (flattened) and boxboard like cereal boxes
• Wrapping paper (non-foil) and shredded paper

Plastics

• Bottles, jugs and tubs — with the lids on
• Stretchy plastic bags and overwrap — bundled into one tied bag

Glass, metal & cartons

• Glass bottles and jars
• Metal food cans and empty aerosol cans
• Clean aluminum foil and trays
• Milk and juice cartons

❌ No — these are the classic blue cart mistakes

• Styrofoam and packing peanuts → black cart
• Chip bags and wrappers (crinkly plastic) → black cart
• Cling wrap, plastic cutlery and straws → black cart
• Black plastic containers — sorting cameras can't see them → black cart
• Paper coffee cups — plastic-lined → black cart
• Pizza boxes and paper towel — food-soiled paper → green cart
• Drinking glasses, Pyrex and ceramics — different melting point than container glass → black cart
• Electronics, batteries and paint → depot / hazardous drop-off, never the carts

Three rules that prevent a tagged cart

1. Empty, rinse, lids on. Food residue can spoil a whole truckload.
2. Everything loose — except stretchy plastics, which go bundled in one tied bag. Never bag your recycling in garbage bags.
3. When in doubt, look it up. Our what-goes-where search covers 80+ household items with Calgary-specific rules.

Not sure when your blue cart goes out? Look up your address — recycling is weekly, and we'll email you the evening before if you want.