That chip bag you've been throwing in the garbage? Starting Thursday, it goes in Calgary's blue cart.
Calgary's recycling rules expand on Oct. 1, and several kinds of packaging that used to be garbage become recyclable.
The additions include chip bags and snack wrappers, toothpaste and deodorant tubes, foam packaging and certain aerosol cans.
There's a bigger change behind it too. Under Alberta's new recycling system, the companies that put packaging on store shelves now pay for most of the cost of recycling it.
For Calgary households, the City says that's already cut blue cart program fees by $7.17 a month.
What Calgary is adding to the blue cart
Starting Oct. 1, the City says four types of packaging are being added.
Flexible bags and wrappers: snack bags, chip bags, wrappers, packaging wrap and pouches.
Tubes: toothpaste, deodorant and lotion tubes.
Foam packaging: foam blocks from around products, foam egg cartons, meat trays and takeout containers.
Food and body aerosols: things like hairspray, dry shampoo, shaving foam, sunscreen, cooking spray and whipped cream cans.
They join what Calgarians already recycle: paper, cardboard, plastic containers, food cans and glass containers.
These used to be garbage
Until now, the City's own guidance listed potato chip bags, snack wrappers and foam packaging as black cart items.
On Oct. 1, they move to blue.
The City says the goal is consistency. Calgarians will be able to recycle the same packaging materials as people anywhere else in Alberta.
Edmonton's list expands on the same day, with many of the same everyday items. Our coverage of Edmonton's Oct. 1 recycling changes is here.
Why Calgary's recycling rules are changing
The expansion comes from Alberta's Extended Producer Responsibility system, or EPR.
Under EPR, producers, including manufacturers and brands, are responsible for the packaging and paper they sell into Alberta. That used to fall mostly on cities and taxpayers.
Alberta launched the first phase of EPR on April 1, 2025. The final phase starts Oct. 1, 2026, bringing the remaining communities in.
The province says EPR shifts many residential recycling costs from municipalities to producers. In Calgary, the City says producers now fund most residential recycling program costs. For single-family homes, that's the $7.17 monthly reduction in blue cart fees.
Calgary's sorting facility had to be upgraded
Getting chip bags and foam into the blue cart took more than a rule change.
Calgary's recyclables go to a sorting facility in Rocky View County. The City says it has been upgraded with new equipment and technology to handle the new materials.
That matters because flexible plastic and foam have historically been hard to sort. Under the province's new system, they now have to be accepted everywhere starting Oct. 1.
Apartments and condos are changing too
Oct. 1 is also a big date for people in Calgary apartments, condos and other multi-family buildings.
Alberta's EPR system expands to multi-family homes on Oct. 1.
In Calgary, Circular Materials, the not-for-profit that runs the province's system, will handle recycling collection for participating buildings. Property managers and condo boards register their buildings with Circular Materials to set up service.
The City says there's no separate collection charge for residents under the program, because producers cover the cost.
Calgary already requires multi-family buildings to provide recycling, compost and garbage service. What's changing is who manages and pays for the recycling.
If you're not sure whether your building is registered, ask your property manager or condo board.
Your blue cart pickup day isn't changing
Calgary isn't changing how often it picks up.
Blue carts will still be collected weekly.
If the new items leave your cart full, the City recommends breaking down cardboard boxes first. Extra recycling can go to a Community Recycling Depot or a City Eco Centre.
Don't leave extra recycling beside the cart. The City says everything collected at the curb has to fit inside it.
Empty, clean and loose
Three basic rules don't change.
Empty: Pour out liquids and scrape food scraps into your kitchen compost pail.
Clean: Rinse food containers and shake out the extra water.
Loose: Put recyclables straight into the blue cart. Don't bag them.
That last one can sound confusing now that bags themselves are recyclable. The chip bag goes in the cart. It just shouldn't be used to hold the rest of your recycling.
Packaging, not every plastic or foam item
The expansion doesn't turn the blue cart into a catch-all for anything made of plastic, metal or foam.
The City draws a line between packaging and products.
A foam block protecting a new TV is packaging. A broken household item isn't.
The plastic wrap around something you bought is packaging. A broken plastic toy isn't.
A toothpaste tube is packaging. An old toothbrush isn't recyclable just because it's plastic.
The City says putting the wrong items in the blue cart can jam or damage sorting equipment, put workers at risk and contaminate other recyclables.
Electronics and batteries don't belong in the blue cart either, and hazardous products have their own disposal rules. That includes aerosols that aren't food or personal-care products.
If you're not sure about an item, the City's What Goes Where tool will tell you where it goes.
Key date
Oct. 1, 2026: Chip bags, snack wrappers, pouches, toothpaste and deodorant tubes, foam packaging and eligible food and body aerosols join the blue cart.
Sources
Recycle More, City of Calgary
Extended Producer Responsibility, City of Calgary
Blue cart recycling, City of Calgary
Extended Producer Responsibility, Government of Alberta
Recycling in Alberta, Circular Materials
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