Communal Collection

Most apartments and condominiums in Edmonton have their garbage collected from large shared brown garbage bins. Apartments and condominiums with recycling collection use large shared blue bins.

The Future of Communal Waste Collection

The way we sort waste in Edmonton is changing. Soon, residents in multi-unit properties with communal collection will be required to separate food scraps and recycling from their garbage. Food scraps collection from these properties could begin as early as 2023.

Properties will be required to ensure containers for food scraps, recyclables and garbage are equally accessible to residents, or co-located.

The City and its contractors will continue to manage communal waste collection in order to help regulate rates, provide a consistent service standard, and ensure the communal collection program contributes to the goals in the 25-year Waste Strategy.

Multi-unit property owners, managers and residents will be supported throughout implementation and beyond to help meet program requirements at each site.

More information will be available soon.

What We Heard Reports

To help inform this recommended approach, we gathered input from multi-unit residents, managers and service providers throughout Edmonton. The details of what we heard at these engagement sessions are included in these reports:

Program Background

The City of Edmonton approved The Future of Waste, Edmonton’s 25-year Waste Strategy in 2019. One of the goals in the 25-year strategy is to introduce food scraps collection to all multi-unit properties, along with recycling and garbage collection.

The Strategy sets ambitious targets for keeping waste out of the landfill. By separating food scraps and recycling from the rest of their garbage, residences receiving communal collection can help bring us closer to our waste diversion goal.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will multi-unit residents start sorting their food scraps?

With mandatory food scraps and recycling sorting for communal collection residents approved by Council, Administration will begin planning the implementation and expects to rollout the new system in late 2023 or 2024.

Will sorting organic waste be optional?

No. City Council affirmed a goal of diverting 90 per cent of waste from the landfill. This goal cannot be met without the participation of all Edmonton residents including multi-unit residents.

Why can’t communal collection customers be treated like the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) sector, that is, each property can choose its own waste service provider?

If each property were to choose its own service provider, it would lead to inefficiency and increased emissions, as collection vehicles from multiple companies would likely be travelling the same collection routes and servicing different properties, which would otherwise be serviced by the same vehicle. It is also unclear if private companies would be able to provide sufficient monitoring and data reporting to support Council’s diversion goals.

Inclusion in the utility provides the following benefits:

Supports long-term planning for waste collections, processing and related infrastructure investments
Aligns program rates to service goals, including waste sorting and reduction
Ensures equity between residents living in Edmonton regardless of the type of housing or location in the city in which they reside
Enables consistent, community-wide standards for residential waste sorting expectations, collections and processing
Provides transparency and oversight of service delivery, as well as financial oversight, through the Utility Advisor, Utility Committee and Council

By continuing to manage communal waste collection service, the City can regulate rates and ensure equity between properties, and ensure the communal collection program contributes to the goals in the 25-year Waste Strategy.

Is Calgary’s communal collection program fully or partly privatized?

Multi-unit properties in Calgary are not considered to be part of the residential sector. They are considered part of the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector and can therefore enter into contracts with either private haulers or the City of Calgary itself. As a result, different buildings have different standards for waste sorting and collection.

To develop the March 2022 business case, Administration researched waste management practices in a number of municipalities. In Calgary, it was noted that a hybrid approach has led to challenges, including:

Inconsistent standards and practices between buildings, which negatively affects participation, as residents moving to a new building must re-learn how to sort and dispose of their waste;
Unequal rates between contractors/buildings
A lack of waste composition data that makes it impossible to accurately track communal waste diversion or target education and enforcement

Property managers are also responsible for enforcement, not the City, which leads to inconsistency and an additional burden on property managers and residents.

My complex does not have a blue bin, why not?

Interested property managers or condo boards can call the Waste Management Services Customer Support Centre at 496-5698 to arrange for the service. There is no extra charge for the program. When the logistical details are worked out, such as where to put the bin, the blue bin will be placed on site and everyone can start recycling.

Some apartments and condominiums have blue bag rather than blue bin collection due to specific site needs for blue bins.

If your building does not have a blue bin, your household recycling can be taken to a Community Recycling Depot.

What can go in the blue bin for recycling?

Most cardboard and paper can go in your blue bin for recycling. This is a great place to start. Flatten cardboard boxes to save space in your blue bin. Many plastic, metal and glass containers from your home can also go in your blue bin.

Recyclables can be put directly in your blue bin. No blue bag is required! Materials in the blue bin will all go to the City's Materials Recovery Facility where they will be sorted for recycling.

To help you sort waste, download WasteWise for free in the Apple App or Google Play store, or visit edmonton.ca/waste. Refer to What Can I Recycle? or the What Goes Where poster to identify what should go in your building's garbage bin, blue bin and what needs to be taken to the Eco Station.

What does not belong in my garbage or recycling bins?

Garbage and recycling bins are for small household waste only.

The following items cannot be put in the waste bins and should be taken to the Eco Station or to the Edmonton Waste Management Centre:

Large items (furniture, sofas, mattresses, box springs, fridges, stoves)
Household hazardous waste (paint, cleaners, batteries, propane tanks, light bulbs)
Electronics (anything with a battery or cord, including TVs and computer equipment)
Building/renovation scraps (drywall, carpeting, lumber)

To help you sort waste, download WasteWise for free in the Apple App or Google Play store, or visit edmonton.ca/waste.

What can I do with large furniture and other items I can't put in my waste bins?

Unacceptable items should be taken to the Eco Station or to the Edmonton Waste Management Centre.

If you don’t have a suitable vehicle for hauling large items, private haulers can be found by doing a web search for 'Edmonton Garbage Collection' or in the Yellow Pages under 'Garbage Collection'.

To help you sort waste, download WasteWise for free in the Apple App or Google Play store, or visit edmonton.ca/waste.

How can I keep my food scraps separate from my garbage and out of the landfill?

There are a number of options available to residents living in condos and apartments while they wait for the organics stream to become a part of their collection.

Bring properly sorted food scraps to any Eco Station. Food scraps in BPI certified compostable bags or paper bags can be added directly to available containers, while pails and clear plastic bags need to be emptied out.
Use ShareWaste.com to find other residents who will use it for their compost.
Ask a neighbour or friend with a food scraps cart.
Drop it off at Compost School.
Talk to residents at a community garden to see if they need food scraps.

Telephone	In Edmonton: 311 Outside Edmonton: 780-442-5311
Email	wastesupport@edmonton.ca

Telephone

In Edmonton: 311
Outside Edmonton: 780-442-5311

wastesupport@edmonton.ca

The Future of Communal Waste Collection

What We Heard Reports

Program Background

Frequently Asked Questions

Assisted Waste Collection

Storage Guidelines for Collection

Site Manager Responsibilities & Information

Educational Resources

Have a question about a specific item? Use the WasteWise search tool.

WasteWise

Waste Fees and Rates

Blue Bin Recycling

Additional Resources

For More Information