Calgary disposal answer
Styrofoam: blue cart
Blue cart — Recycling
Since October 1, 2026, clean foam packaging goes in the blue cart: takeout containers, cups, egg cartons, meat trays and protective foam blocks.
Rule changed on . What else changed
How to prepare it
- Lift the absorbent pad out of foam meat trays and put the pad in the black cart.
- Give takeout containers and cups a quick rinse, or wipe them out with a used napkin.
- Peel tape and labels off foam shipping blocks before recycling them.
- Bag loose packing peanuts and tie the bag closed; all other foam goes in loose.
- Large amounts can go to a City Eco Centre for free, kept separate; charges apply if you bring garbage too.
Good to know
Only foam packaging is accepted. Foam products, meaning items you bought to use rather than the packaging around them, stay out of the blue cart. Foam labelled biodegradable or compostable, including corn-starch and Green Cell foam, goes in the black cart, bagged and tied so it cannot blow away. No foam of any kind belongs in the green cart.
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