New enhancements at evolving City Eco Centres: a convenient way to recycle, reuse and dispose your waste

The City of Calgary has made it easier than ever to recycle, reuse and dispose of materials through their enhanced Eco Centres. These self-sorting areas provide Calgarians with a convenient, paved and year-round drop-off location for a wider variety of materials that don't fit or belong in your regular bins.

Notable enhancements to improve the drop-off experience include easy-to-read signage, revised facility layout and updated drop-off areas for items. Bins and drop-off areas are labelled so Calgarians can easily determine where to put items, and City staff are onsite to help direct and answer any questions. The range of materials that can now be brought to the Eco Centres include foam packaging and reusable items like furniture, household items and bikes, reflecting expanded recycling and reuse opportunities beyond just garbage.

Previously known as the “Throw n Go” area, many Calgarians were unaware of the services available, often associating them solely with garbage destined for the landfill. The recent service changes provided an opportunity to rename the self-sorting areas as “Eco Centres.” This new name highlights the evolution of recycling and reuse opportunities and provides a familiar name that residents may recognize from neighboring municipalities that have similar facilities.

“We are thrilled to introduce our newly designed Eco Centres. This change is more than just a new name; it's an enhanced experience. The Eco Centre emphasizes recycling and reuse by expanding the types of materials that can be dropped off. Additionally, the paved drop-off area, new facility layout and updated signs makes unloading waste material and items easier and more convenient than ever,” says Elias Tomaras, Project Manager - Special Projects. “We are also unique among large municipalities because we have partnered with Goodwill Alberta to provide a fully staffed reuse area for items that will later be repurposed within the community.”

These self-sorting Eco Centre areas are beneficial to the community. It allows Calgarians to bring several types of materials to one location for disposal such as:

Reusable and recyclable materials that often end up in the garbage but could find a second life in a different way (e.g. oversized cardboard, large metal appliances, electronics, drywall etc.).
Materials that require safe disposal or special handling (e.g., chemicals, paint, auto batteries).
Garbage that is oversized or unacceptable in the residential program (e.g., construction and renovation materials).

To fine-tune the enhanced service, The City tested the upgrades at the Spyhill Eco Centre before fully implementing them at the Shepard and East Calgary locations. It was found that waste diversion improved more compared to the other two locations. For example,

29% more oversized cardboard was recycled.
163% more reuse items and 30% more electronics were diverted from the landfill.
25% more metal in designated bins.

Here are a few things Calgarians should know when visiting the Eco Centre:

Make sure your waste loads are covered and secured in your vehicle to prevent littering.
Keep materials separated. This will make it easier to sort and drop off materials into the right bins.
You are responsible for all unloading of materials.
For your safety, wear closed-toed shoes and always keep children and pets inside the vehicle.

While some materials incur a fee, many can be dropped off at no charge. The Eco Centres accept a wide range of materials from yard waste for composting, blue bin recyclables, scrap metal, household items, drywall, wood, hazardous waste, bikes, foam packaging, electronics and much more.

More information on fees and what the Eco Centre accepts can be found at calgary.ca/ecocentre.