Tell One Friend: Use a Blue Bag (not a blue box)

The City of Edmonton has encouraged blue bags for picking up recycling at the curb for many years. This year, 2020, Bylaw 18590 requires Edmontonians to put recyclables in blue bags if they want these collected at their house. Do not put items in blue boxes because it won’t be picked up.

Did you know…

Edmonton has THREE systems for recyclable items:

1. Blue bags for curbside pick-up For single-unit residences, like houses, duplexes, and some townhomes.
2. Blue bins for multi-unit buildings. Like apartments and condos.
3. Community Recycling Depots for drop-off For all local residents and small businesses.

Why blue bags?

Curbside pick-up is the easiest disposal for Edmonton residents. Blue bags are VERY helpful and that’s why most Edmontonians already use them. Blue bags:

• Protect from rain and snow, keeping items dry.
• Protect from wind, preventing litter.
• Are easy to grab for customers and waste collectors.
• Hold a lot of recycling and keep it tidy.
• Keep waste collectors moving efficiently on their route.

What about little blue boxes? Are there other options?

Waste collectors will give notices to residents who are still using blue boxes. Later in fall, waste collectors will only pick up blue bags.

Edmontonians can still use one of the 19 Community Recycling Depots across the city. They are efficient, accessible and blue bags are optional.

Blue boxes were introduced thirty years ago and they’ve outlived their usefulness for holding recyclables. They make curbside pick-up slow and inefficient. Boxes also expose paper and cardboard to rain, snow and wind. This makes the material less recyclable and causes litter.

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Spread the Message

Try these tactics to encourage friends, family, neighbours and co-workers.

Model the Behaviour

Set out your recycling in a blue bag AND make your blue bag visible. OR Tell a friend or post on social media when you take items to a Recycling Depot.

One Small Ask

Would you try setting out your recycling in a blue bag for one month?

Give Timely Prompts

“You said that you’re ordering pizza. Don’t forget to recycle the boxes; just remove the chunks.”

 

Give Positive Feedback

"Thanks for using a blue bag to set out your recycling. Did you know that almost everyone already uses blue bags for recycling?”

 

More Info

Visit www.edmonton.ca/recycling

Previous Tell One Friend: Put Pizza Boxes in the Recycling

Holiday Waste: What Goes Where?

As you clean up from your holiday celebrations, it's important to do the right thing with your waste. Use these tips to sort your holiday waste, or check out our sorting app, WasteWise.

What can I reuse?
Consider donating unwanted items to a local thrift shop, charity or to the Reuse Centre.

Decorations Wrapping paper and bows Gift bags and boxes

Packing peanuts Bubble wrap Tissue paper

What goes in my household recycling?
Keep your recycling clean, loose, and dry for your blue bag or your apartment blue bin. Residents can also bring items to one of Edmonton's 20 community recycling depots.

• Paper - wrapping paper (non-metallic), holiday cards, envelopes
• Cardboard - shipping boxes, cardboard packaging, gift boxes
• Plastic - shopping bags, pop bottles, containers (e.g. yogurt tubs, clamshell packages)
• Metal - pop cans, aluminum pie plates, tin cans
• Glass - beverage bottles, food jars

What about Eco Stations?
Some unwanted items contain hazardous materials or are difficult to recycle. Bring them to an Eco Station for free and safe disposal:

Strings of lights Small appliances Obsolete electronics

Old batteries Household chemicals

Never put Eco Station items in your blue bag or garbage. Also take large items like furniture and major appliances to an Eco Station for proper disposal (fees apply).

What goes in the garbage?
Not everything can be recycled. Some holiday waste should go in the garbage.

Food waste Styrofoam packaging Soiled napkins and paper plates

Candy wrappers Metallic gift wrap Plastic cutlery

Check out more tips and tricks at edmonton.ca/wastelessholidays.

Download WasteWise for free on iTunes or Google Play, or use it online at edmonton.ca/waste

Are You Satisfied with the City's Waste Services?

Results of Fall 2016 Survey

If so, you’re in good company! Every year the City conducts a survey to determine how satisfied residents are with their waste services and how much they participate in waste programs. We do this to measure key performance indicators, such as recycling participation and the level of satisfaction with specific services. We use this information to identity areas for improvement, to figure out where our advertising dollars need to go to raise awareness for our services and facilities, and to continue to help residents properly sort their waste.

This year’s fall survey showed strong results in both the customer experience and participation in sustainable waste activities. Edmontonians really do care about their environment and the impacts their waste can have, and we love hearing from you!

Overall, residents are pleased with the services we provide! Of the residents surveyed, 93 percent of single family homeowners said they were satisfied with their garbage and recycling collection. This statistic is marginally higher than last year’s results. Families living in apartments and condominiums remained steady at 86 per cent satisfaction. Edmontonians continue to show their dedication to diverting waste from landfill with participation in the City’s voluntary blue bag recycling remaining high at 91 per cent.

Eco Stations play an important role in the proper handling of household hazardous waste. The number of residents who took items to an Eco Station (in the last year) also remains consistent at 63 per cent; however, the number of visits per resident is up this year by 0.6 per cent. Of the residents who have visited an Eco Station in the last 12 months, 93 per cent reported being satisfied with their experience.

What’s better than reusing waste or recycling? Reducing! That’s why we’re excited about the increase to 66 per cent for awareness of the Reuse Centre, up from 49 per cent in 2012. In addition to being a drop-off facility, the Reuse Centre provides unique items for organizations and individuals to pick up. For just $5, people can take up to 5 kg of product! The Reuse Centre also offers ongoing programs such as crafting workshops, and offers space rental at affordable prices for meetings and children’s birthday parties, so be sure to check it out!

Another proud achievement for Edmonton is the increase in the City’s grasscycling program – Go Bagless. Of Edmontonians who have a lawn to mow, 63 per cent reported leaving their grass clippings on the lawn all or most of the time in 2016, which increased from 58 per cent in 2015. This program, which has been running for several years, is an excellent example of social marketing and the positive impacts it can have for our city and its environment.

We’d like to thank everyone who participated! Survey engagement was high this year with 801 Edmontonians participating in online interviews. The survey targeted Edmonton residents 18 years or older, who are the primary decision makers of their household, between October 6 and 20, 2016.

“These survey results show that there’s a lot of community support for waste programs and that residents continue to be active participants in waste reduction, reuse and recycling, fully supporting our goal to divert waste from landfill,” says Connie Boyce, Director of Community Relations with Utility Services. “These results help us measure the impact of our programs and prioritize our efforts to continue improving customer service.”

For more information on programs and services, visit edmonton.ca/waste. Lastly, a big thank you to all Edmontonians who reduce, reuse, recycle and/or simply take the time to set out their waste correctly — your efforts make this city safer and cleaner!

WasteWise Top Ten

WasteWise, our sorting app, launched roughly one month ago. To date, the app has been downloaded over 4,000 times, and over 31,000 item searches have been made.

We know that some items cause a lot of confusion for residents. WasteWise is a quick source of answers, and also provides us with up-to-date data on which items Edmontonians need to know about.

We pulled together the top ten most-searched items. Test yourself, and test your friends!
Do you know where these items go? 

1. Pizza box - 905 hits
2. Shredded paper - 624 hits
3. Styrofoam - 595 hits
4. Plastic wrap - 511 hits
5. Plastic take-out container - 467 hits
6. Plastic bag - 463 hits
7. Plastic container - 427 hits
8. Aluminum foil - 398 hits
9. Metal food can - 376 hits
10. Styrofoam egg carton - 351 hits

Stumped? Check your WasteWise app for the answers!
WasteWise on Google Play or iTunes.

Did you know?

Users can also suggest search terms if they don't find what they're looking for. Some of the most interesting suggestions include "Donald Trump," "ex-boyfriend," and "ten pin bowling ball."

Decal Redesign

If you're a regular visitor at your local City of Edmonton Recycle Depot, you will notice some changes in 2015. Waste Management Services recently redesigned the decals for the recycling bins to be more readable and reduce "contamination" between bins.

The bright, eye-catching decals feature lots of pictures and large print. They're easy to understand at a glance.

The new decals will be slowly introduced across the city, as older bins are replaced. Check out the new decals below:

The clothes off your back...

Clothing and fabric are no longer accepted at City of Edmonton Recycling Depots. 

These textiles were collected to make recycled paper. The manufacturer, Greys Paper, has found other suppliers and so they no longer need this source of textiles.

Partnerships with hotels and other suppliers provide a source of linens that do not need to be sorted. Now that these relationships are well established, they provide a more cost-effective and efficient source of cotton for Greys Paper.

How do you reuse your old clothing? Post your story in the comments.

Waste Management Services encourages residents to donate their reusable clothing to one of the charitable organizations in our city. Organizations that accept clothing can be found at edmonton.ca/reusedirectory.

Some organizations also accept rag material or have agreements with cloth and textile recyclers, so check with your charity of choice before tossing that threadbare t-shirt! Contact your local shop for donation guidelines.

Of course, not all clothing needs to be tossed. A local tailor can help you with alterations, or take your minor repairs to an Edmonton Repairathon event for a free fix. Clothing too-damaged-to-wear can be cut into rags for cleaning, or put to good use for any number of crafts.

Recycling Depots: No place for illegal dumping

They are often forgotten... probably because they are just so efficient.

Recycling Depots are a simple service that helps divert waste from landfill. Sadly, there are some troubles at our depots.

Simple and easy to use

There are 20 Recycling Depots across Edmonton. They are convenient locales to drop off paper and cardboard, plastic containers, aluminum cans, and glass bottles for recycling.

As the General Supervisor for Waste Drop-Off Services, Chris Fowler mentions that "Recycling depots provide an important service to the communities because residents and small businesses can drop their recyclable items 24 hours a day."

But Recycling Depots are not for dumping garbage. That's just plain illegal.

"We want to be able to trust people to use them properly and respect the bylaws so that we can maintain this convenient access," says Chris. "Recycling Depots are not designed to accept large items or household hazardous waste which can pose a risk for the staff and citizens who come in contact with it."

A sad example of illegal dumping at a Recycling Depot

Quick Facts

• Materials collected (2012): 7,094 tonnes
• Illegal materials (2013 thru July): 266 tonnes
• Common types of illegal dumping:
• reno materials
• fridges & stoves
• TVs & monitors
• bikes
• sofas & mattresses

Chris' staff visit each Recycling Depot on a regular basis. They tidy the site, ensure the right materials are in each bin, and remove items that should not be there. But dumping is a simple problem with a simple solution: don't.

The fine for illegal dumping is $250.

Items that cannot be sorted at a Recycling Depot should be taken to an Eco Station, a Big Bin Event, or the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. Visit edmonton.ca/waste for locations.

We need your help

Waste Management Services is working to reduce illegal dumping at Recycling Depots. The City will monitor depots and enforce bylaws.
If you see someone dumping at a Recycling Depot, please call 311 with details. If possible, note the date, time, location, and license plate of the vehicle.

Key Points

• It is illegal to leave garbage, non-recyclable materials, and large items at Recycling Depots.
• Recycling Depots are monitored for illegal dumping and offenders could receive a fine of $250.
• The City has 20 Recycling Depots where residents and small businesses can take recyclable items such as: paper, shredded paper, boxes, cardboard, all recyclable containers and cans, plastic bags, and used cotton and denim.
• Recycling Depots DO NOT accept furniture, tires, home renovation materials, mattresses, appliances, fridges and household hazardous waste.
• Take these item to an Eco Station, the Edmonton Waste Management Centre or a Big Bin Event.
• Residents and small businesses can drop off recyclable items 24-hours-a-day at Recycling Depots.
• To report illegal dumping, call 311 with the details.