Updated January 2023

INTRODUCING ... CURBSIDE COLLECTION!

ORGANICS, RECYCLING AND WASTE User's Guide (updated July 2022)

Residential Curbside Recycling collection came to Rocky Mountain House in May 2022.

Mixed recycling and cardboard is collected every-other-week on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Beginning in September, Waste and Recycling will be collected on alternating weeks.

ORGANICS, RECYCLING AND WASTE User's Guide (updated July 2022)

Questions? We've got answers!

Q: HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST?

This service is included in residential solid waste and diversion fees already reflected on your monthly utility bill. Your monthly utility payment will not change due to this program. The cost breakdown for curbside recycling is about $2 per month.

Q: WHEN WILL MY RECYCLING BE PICKED UP?

Curbside recycling will be collected starting in May.

Set your recycling out by 7 a.m. on your assigned day. Recycling will be picked up on Wednesdays and Thursdays, every other week beginning May 4. Leave 1.5 metres of space between your bag and black cart. 

2023 Spring/Summer Schedule:

Waste and recycling are now collected in alternating weeks.

Q: WHAT IS KICK IT TO THE CURB?

Kick it to the Curb is a Town-wide event to help Rocky residents reduce and reuse. Place your unwanted but usable items at the front of your property marked with a ‘FREE’ sign. Then explore curbsides around Town to find new-to-you treasures that are marked with a ‘FREE’ sign. 

Q: WHAT IS CURBSIDE ROUNDUP?

Curbside Roundup is a program from Alberta Recycling that collects electronics, paints, tires, used oil and household hazardous waste from residences. This one-time event will take place on September 19 and 20, 2022. Click here for details.

Q: WHERE WILL MY RECYCLING END UP?

Curbside recycling collected in Rocky Mountain House will go to Capital Paper in Edmonton. This large-scale recycling facility also handles the products accepted in our curbside recycling program.

Q: OK, I'M IN! WHAT CAN I PUT IN MY CURBSIDE RECYCLING BAG?

ORGANICS, RECYCLING AND WASTE User's Guide (updated July 2022)

• Rigid Plastics NUMBERED 1-7 (e.g.: Shampoo bottles, detergent jugs and food containers). When in doubt, check for the numbered recycling symbol! It will look like this:                
  
  
  The number in the middle must be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 to go in your curbside bag. Please rinse your containers first!
  
  
• Metal cans and foil trays (e.g.: Food, soup and beverage cans, tin foil wrap, foil trays and pie plates).
• Paper, cardboard and boxboard (e.g.: flattened corrugated cardboard; cereal, cracker, cookie and tissue boxes - liners removed - cardboard and paper tubes/rolls; and paper egg cartons.
  
  
• Only oversized corrugated cardboard, greater than one square metre in area when flattened, may be placed under your bag. e.g.: TV or refrigerator boxes.
• Plain cardboard can also be placed in your green bin.
  • No glossy or waxed cardboard in the compost, please.

Always rinse your materials before placing them in your bag. 

Q: DO I HAVE TO USE A CLEAR BAG?

Preferably, but see-through or transparent blue bags will also be collected. Do NOT use black or opaque bags for recycling as these will not be collected. Bags that are seen to contain organics or garbage materials will not be collected. Clear bags are available for purchase at any grocery or hardware store.

Do not use a plastic tote or cardboard box. We ask that you use strictly clear or blue bags, for the following reasons:  

• Less mess at our contractor's facility before transfer to Edmonton.
• Loose items will not get blown around in the wind or wet by rain.
• Bags are easier and quicker to pick up and throw aboard the collection truck.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Q: WHAT ABOUT GLASS, BATTERIES OR OTHER RECYCLABLES?

Please continue to take these items to the Eco Centre:

• Tires
• Glass
• Electronics
• Scrap metals
• Wood and rocks/stones
• Yard waste (that does not fit in your green bin)
• Household hazardous materials

These items will NOT be collected curbside.

Q: IS IT TRUE THAT THE ECO CENTRE IS GOING TO START CHARGING FEES FOR USE?

Yes. New fees for garbage disposal at the Eco Centre came into effect on July 1.

There have always been disposal fees for certain items, including mattresses and fridges. These fees simply cover the cost of transporting the mattresses to a recycling facility in Calgary, or to safely remove the freon from your fridge or freezer.

If a household produces more garbage than it can dispose of in the curbside black bin, they can take it to the Eco Centre. Fees for waste are as follows:

Loads larger than a half-ton box-size must go to the Regional Landfill for disposal.

Recycling/Chemicals/Paints/Oils/Yard Waste/Grass Clippings/Metal/Batteries, etc. will all remain free.

The Town will hold another Kick It to the Curb event on September 17 and 18, 2022, for residents to swap their used but useable items, as an added way for citizens to consider upcycling their unwanted items. Check out the details here.

Residents are encouraged to embrace all the waste diversion programs in place, including curbside organics and recycling, and bring additional recyclable materials to the Eco Centre free of charge. The monthly base rate for these services is $27.52 and is already included on your monthly municipal utility bill.

Q: WILL THE RE-USE SHED EVER REOPEN?

No, this service has been discontinued.

Residents are encouraged to consider other ways to divert or re-use their unwanted items, such as:

• Donating directly to a non-profit;
• Participating in Kick it to the Curb;
• Breaking down items into their recyclable material parts;
• Advertising items for sale; and
• Learning about the Circular Economy and the role household consumers can play in overall waste reduction.

Q: WHO CAN I CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION?

Phone the Town Office at 403-845-2866 and your call will be forwarded to the right person.

ORGANICS, RECYCLING AND WASTE User's Guide (updated July 2022)

The Town of Rocky Mountain House is a member of the Recycling Council of Alberta.

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