Recycling pickup pulls up to Calgary curbs next spring

The city hopes to double the amount of recyclable material it collects when it launches curbside recycling in the spring.

Service will begin in the southwest in late April when residents begin to receive large, blue recycling carts, city officials said at an update news conference at the east Calgary landfill site Wednesday.

The southeast will follow in mid-May, the northwest in early June and then the northeast in late June, totalling almost 300,000 households across the city.

No sorting is required, as all material will be picked up in the same bin. The city is expanding its recycling program to include plastics but not Styrofoam or organic material.

Recycling pickup by automated trucks will be on the same day and location as garbage collection.

"We're trying to provide a really convenient and easy program for Calgarians to use so we can maximize participation and get the most recycled materials that we can and keep it out of landfills," said Paula Magdich, project leader for the city's program.

Curbside service does not include large multi-family units

The $8 monthly service, to be charged on each household's utility bill, will cover single-family homes and buildings up to fourplexes.

People who live in larger apartment or condo buildings will have to continue to use community recycling depots.

However, the city said it plans to expand those centres to accept plastic and change them so people no longer have to sort their materials.