What goes in the blue cart? Calgary recycling guide

Your blue cart takes paper and packaging, collected every week. Since October 1, 2026, it also takes several kinds of packaging that used to be garbage.

Checked against City of Calgary sources on October 5, 2026

Common things you can recycle

• Flattened cardboard, clean paper, newspapers, magazines and paperboard boxes.
• Empty paper coffee cups and paper egg cartons.
• Clean rigid plastic containers, accepted cartons, food cans and foil.
• Glass food jars and bottles; other glassware follows different rules.
• Plastic bags, clean cling wrap and overwrap, loose in the cart. Bundling bags is no longer required.
• Clean plastic cutlery and plastic straws, plus caps and lids of all kinds.

Prepare recycling in four steps

1. Empty food into compost and rinse containers.
2. Leave plastic caps and lids on empty bottles and containers; coffee cup and fountain drink lids are recyclable too. Put metal lids in the cart separately from glass jars.
3. Put plastic bags in loose. The one item that goes in a bag is shredded paper, in its own tied, transparent plastic bag.
4. Keep other recyclables loose inside the cart and close the lid. Do not jam items together.

Blue or green? Check how dirty the paper is

Clean pizza boxes and boxes with a little grease can be recycled. Food chunks, sauce or heavy grease mean the paper belongs in the green cart. Compare pizza-box conditions.

Ordinary paper coffee cups are recyclable after emptying. Paper containers labelled compostable have different rules; compostable plastic cups and cutlery do not belong in either recycling or City compost.

What stays out?

Batteries, chemicals, electronics, clothing, toys and scrap-metal objects need their own disposal routes. A recycling symbol alone does not mean a product belongs in the blue cart. Search the actual item.

My blue cart is full

Flatten boxes first. Extra cardboard and bags of recycling left beside the cart are not collected. Save them for a later pickup or use a community recycling depot.

Apartment and condo recycling

Your building’s collection arrangement may differ from the City cart program. Ask the manager or collection provider about its containers, preparation rules and pickup days.