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Beginning Thursday, Calgarians will be able to recycle more materials in their blue carts, including more types of household packaging and paper products.
The city is expanding its list of items that can be recycled to include certain flexible bags and wrappers, foam packaging, tubes and aerosols.
Eligible bags and wrappers include snack packaging, wrappers and pouches, while foam packaging like egg cartons, meat trays and takeout containers can also go in the blue bin.
Toothpaste, deodorant and lotion tubes can also be recycled, as well as aerosol canisters for hairspray, dry shampoo, sunscreen and cooking spray.
The expanded list is part of the provincial extended producer responsibility (EPR) recycling program, which makes manufacturers responsible for managing packaging waste when it’s no longer needed.
EPR requires producers to collect, sort, process, partially fund and recycle the packaging waste they create, the city’s website says.
While the provincial policy came into effect for single-family residential homes last April, the latest expansion now includes multi-family properties.
According to the city, EPR reduces recycling fees for residents, instead shifting some of the cost to producers. Single-family homes saved just over $7 a month since the program came into effect last year, the city said.
The EPR system is also intended to create a standardized list of materials which can be recycled across the province.
Ontario made a similar change to expand its list of items eligible for the blue bin at the end of last year, and most other Canadian provinces and territories have implemented, or plan to implement, some form of EPR recycling for packaging.
Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit, is managing the operational aspects of recycling collection in Calgary, according to the city’s website.
Blue cart waste is collected and taken to the GFL sorting facility in Rocky View County, which the city says was recently upgraded to accommodate the new materials eligible for recycling.
Recyclables must be empty and clean before entering the blue bin, the city said, to ensure they can easily be turned into new products and do not damage sorting equipment.
Recycling guidelines for materials such as paper, cardboard, food cans and plastic and glass containers have not changed.