Curbside Collection & Eco Centre
Curbside waste and recycling collection is available for all Chestermere acreages! To set up your service click here. Moreover, if you have any questions please contact our Utility team at utilities@chestermere.ca or by phone at 403-207-7071.
About Your Curbside Collection
The City of Chestermere is committed to recycling as many materials as possible to keep them out of landfills and to protect the environment.
Carts must be properly placed at the curbside prior to 7 am on collection day to ensure they are picked up.
If your curbside collection is missed, please contact Public Works at 403-207-2807 to report the issue. They will be able to assist you with rescheduling or addressing any concerns regarding your collection.
Collection Day & Sorting Tool
Vehicles must be parallel parked with passenger side wheels to the curb or in driveways. This helps collection trucks to reach your carts for pickup and provides enough clearance to safely turn around. Angle parking makes it more difficult collect bins safely. You MUST ensure there’s at least 1 meter of space left between any vehicle and the closest cart.
Recycle Collection – Blue Cart
Weekly collection: Residents should leave materials loose in the bin. If you want to recycle plastic grocery bags, please bundle them but leave other recyclable materials loose. Excess materials can be dropped off at the Eco Centre.
Organics Collection – Green Cart
Weekly collection begins in May of each year (weather dependent).
Bi-weekly collection will run from October – May each year (weather dependent).
Residents may use compostable bags (not just biodegradable) or leave materials loose in the bins.
Visit the Organics Collection tab above for more information.
Garbage Collection – Black Cart
Bi-weekly collection: Residents must use bags. Compostable and recyclable material will not be accepted. Large items may be included loose.
Lake Weed Collection – Lake Front Home Owners Only
Lake Weed Wednesday’s weekly collection runs throughout the summer. Lake weeds only are permitted in lake weed bins, as they are processed separately at the Eco Centre to create compost available to all residents.
Click Here for more information about lake weeds & harvesting.
The following materials are designated as Prohibited Materials:
- Ashes which are hot, smoldering, smoking or not properly quenched
- Automobile waste including automobile parts, tires and batteries
- Compressed cylinders
- Dead animals and animal carcasses
- Automobile oils and oil filters
- Gas or propane liquids or any other liquid based petroleum product
- Household batteries
- Hypodermic needles unless contained in a puncture-resistant receptacle
- Items likely to cause injury to a Collector including glass, nails, knives, metal, or wood splinters (unless contained in a puncture-resistant receptacle)
- Luminescent gas filled electric discharge tubes or florescent tubes
- Material which could cause environmental damage
- Rocks
- Sod
- Sawdust and powdered materials
The following materials are designated as Regulated Waste by Alberta Environment and Parks:
- Televisions
- Computers and accessories
- Printers
- Scanners and Faxes
- Paint — without limitation, latex, oil or solvent based coatings, stains, finishing oils, varnishes, lacquers and wood or masonry treatment products
- Paint containers
- Beverage Containers — aluminum cans, PET clear plastic containers, other plastic drink containers, milk jugs, plastic pop bottles, glass bottles. Tetra brik containers, gable top containers, bi-metal containers, drink pouches, bag in a box containers.
- Tires
- Motor Oil, Oil Filters, Oil Containers
- Pet Waste
Eco-Centre
Contact
January 1 – April 30
Tuesday – Saturday
8:30 am – 5 pm
May 1 – September 30
Tuesday – Friday
8:30 am – 6 pm
Saturdays
8:30 am – 5 pm
October 1 – December 31 (except holidays)
Tuesday – Saturday
8:30 am – 5 pm
Year-round
Closed Sundays, Mondays and statutory holidays
General Accepted Items
Items Generally Accepted Include:
- Clean Glass Jars and Bottles
- Small Appliances – coffee makers, toasters
- USED Cooking Oil
- Batteries (from AAA to car batteries and all sizes in between)
- Clothing (donation bins located on site) – All donated clothing goes to Clothing for a Cause
- Tires and Rims
- Cardboard
- Mixed Paper
- Newspaper
- Plastics with the Recycling Triangle numbered 1–7
- Tin
Residential Compostable Items (Organics)
- Yard Waste (such as grass clippings, leaves, flowers).
- Green bin contents but items must be in a compostable bag.
- Branches are accepted at the recycle depot. Branches will be chipped into mulch and provided free of charge to Chestermere residents.
Don’t see the item you’re looking for?
- Check through the tabs above or scroll down to the Sorting Tool below.
Accepted Electronics
Electronics Accepted at the Recycle Depot
- Cell phones, smart phones, pagers
- Related phone accessories, including chargers, plugs, etc.
- Telephones and related equipment
- Computers
- Networking equipment
- Modems
- Routers
- Hubs
- Televisions
- VCR/DVD/CD players
- Stereos/radios
- Home theater systems
- Cable/Satellite receivers
- Video game consoles
- Microwaves
- Electronic Wire
- Batteries (from AAA to car batteries and all sizes in between)
Don’t see the item you’re looking for?
- Check through the tabs above or scroll down to the Sorting Tool below.
Accepted Paints
Eligible Paints Accepted at the Recycle Depot – 100mL to 24 Litres
- Interior & exterior latex and alkyd (oil based) paints
- Porch, floor and deck paints
- Interior and exterior varnishes and urethanes
- Primers, undercoats and water repellent sealers
- Enamels
- Wood finishing oils and stains
- Non-catalyzed and non nitrocellulose lacquers
- Shellac
- Rust and decorative metal paints
- Concrete and driveway (non-tar based) paints
- Tree marking paint
- Fence and barn paint
- Empty paint cans and pails
- Paint aerosols
- Marine paint (must not contain pesticides).
Don’t see the item you’re looking for?
- Check through the tabs above or scroll down to the Sorting Tool below.
Items NOT Accepted
The Recycle Depot DOES NOT accept:
- Mattresses
- Couches, sofas / furniture
- Dirt
- Sod
- Branches (except in April and May when a seasonal bin is provided)
- Construction and demolition materials
- Motor Oil
- Old Gas
- Automobile parts
- Pressurized tanks of any kind (propane tanks, fire extinguishers)
- Polystyrene (Styrofoam)
- Freon Units (fridges, freezers, air conditioners, water coolers)
- Large appliances (such as stoves, dishwashers, washing machines)
- Asbestos waste
- Medical waste
Many of these items, including household hazardous waste, can be taken to the East Calgary Landfill (3801 – 68 Street SE) where they can be disposed of safely. Disposal fees may apply. Additional information on how to dispose of items not accepted at the Recycle Depot can be obtained from Alberta’s Recycling Hotline.
Compost & Mulch
The City offers mulch and compost at no cost to residents, subject to availability.
UPDATE MAY 29, 2024 – Compost will not be available until the end of July, if at all this year.
Picking Up Mulch or Compost: Residents must bring their own shovels and bins: these are not provided at the depot. Staff are not available to help load material. Please take only what you need – you cannot take a full truckload.
About the Compost: We turn the lake weeds and yard waste mechanically with a tractor and spinner and continue the process for approximately one year. The larger clumps are screened out and the remaining compost is made available to residents.
About the Mulch: Branches dropped in the bins at the Eco Centre and branches collected by Parks staff through park maintenance are put through the wood chipper to create the mulch, which is then made available to residents.
Organics Collection
Weekly organics collection will begin in May of each year, weather permitting.
Bi-weekly organics collection runs from October – May each year, weather permitting.
Why does the green cart schedule change?
During the late fall and winter months, green carts are primarily used for food waste and there is less yard waste to collect. As the carts are not as full, the collection is reduced to every other week. In the spring, when there is more yard waste as the weather warms up, green cart collection will resume weekly pickup.
What other options do residents have?
Grass clippings and leaves can be taken directly to the Eco Centre. The Eco Centre can also receive bagged organics in compostable bags.
Did you know the City of Chestermere offers the following services:
-
- 52 weekly collections for Recycling (Blue Cart)
- 39 weekly collections for Organics (Green Cart)
- 26 weekly collections for Landfill (Black Cart)
Frequently Asked Questions
When will my garbage / recycling / compost cart be picked up?
Your curbside collection schedule may be found at the bottom of this page.
What should I do if my garbage / recycling / compost isn't picked up on my scheduled day?
If your curbside collection is missed, please contact Public Works at 403-207-2807 to report the issue. They will be able to assist you with rescheduling or addressing any concerns regarding your collection.
Why are curbside collection days changing?
These changes are about improving the reliability and consistency of service for every household. The growth of the City has led to a heavier workload in some areas, making it difficult for the crews to collect all the carts in those areas on the scheduled day.
The new routes have been planned to ensure crews can collect from each household as efficiently as possible. This update focuses on providing service to 6,899 existing households and includes space for an additional 1,500 new households expected to be built in Chestermere over the next 3 years. As the city grows, there may be changes to your collection day again in future years.
The City recognizes changing collection days is inconvenient for residents, but thanks everyone for their commitment to keeping Chestermere clean and safe.
Why was my garbage / recycling / compost / lake weed cart not picked up?
Below is a listing of the most common reasons why a cart was not picked up:
- The cart was not out by 7 am on collection day and the truck already went by,
- The cart was blocked by a vehicle, placed too close to a vehicle, (remember to leave 1 metre of space around the cart) or,
- The cart was placed underneath a basketball net or tree and the arm of the truck could not pick it up.
If you received a tag on your cart, the tag will show the reason why the cart was not collected. Call Community Operations at 403-207-2807 for next steps once the issue indicated on the tag is resolved.
I got a tag on my garbage / recycling / compost / lake weed cart. What do I do?
The tag will indicate what the issue was. Once you have fixed the issue indicated on the tag, call Community Operations at 403-207-2807 and the team will assist you.
My garbage / recycling / compost / lake weed cart was missed. What do I do?
Contact Community Operations at 403-207-2807 or email curbside@chestermere.ca with your name, address, phone number and which cart was missed.
I am not sure which cart to put an item I want to throw out. How do I sort it?
Check out this Quick sorting guide to learn what goes where.
The Sorting Central tool at the bottom of this page will help you find where to put an item!
Does my garbage / recycling / compost cart get collected on statutory holidays?
Yes, the City’s Environmental Services team will pick up carts on all Statutory Holidays, excluding Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Holiday collection schedules will be posted annually in December.
I just moved to Chestermere, how do I get curbside carts?
Please connect with the City’s Utilities department to sign up for utility services, including curbside collection.
You may complete the new utility account application form on this page under “open an account”.
Visit the billing and account information page for more information.
Can I get reminders sent to my phone by notification / text / email before my collection day?
Yes! Please download the Chestermere Recycles app on either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
We also strongly recommend downloading the VoyentAlert! app. This app will be used to communicate with residents in the event of a curbside cart collection service interruption.
What items are accepted at the Eco-Centre?
Items Generally Accepted Include:
- Clean Glass Jars and Bottles
- Small Appliances – coffee makers, toasters
- USED Cooking Oil
- Batteries (from AAA to car batteries and all sizes in between)
- Clothing (donation bins located on site) – All donated clothing goes to Clothing for a Cause
- Tires and Rims
- Cardboard
- Mixed Paper
- Newspaper
- Plastics with the Recycling Triangle numbered 1–7
- Tin
Residential Compostable Items (Organics)
- Yard Waste (such as grass clippings, leaves, flowers).
- Green bin contents but items must be in a compostable bag.
- Branches are accepted at the recycle depot. Branches will be chipped into mulch and provided free of charge to Chestermere residents.
Lake weeds - Where do collected lake weeds go?
Lake weeds are collected in separate carts from regular organic carts. This allows the City to locally process compost at the Eco Centre.
About the Compost: lake weeds and yard waste is mechanically churned with a tractor and spinner. The process takes place for approximately one year. The larger clumps are screened out and the remaining compost is made available to residents.
Picking Up Compost: Residents must bring their own shovels and bins: these are not provided at the depot. Staff are not available to help load material. Please take only what you need – you cannot take a full truckload.
Lake weeds - When will Lake Weed Wednesday cart collection begin?
For 2022, Lake Weed Wednesdays will take place from July 13 to September 28, 2022.
Lake weed carts are only picked up during this 12-week period.
Tip: only lake weeds can go into the lake weed cart. This is because the lake weeds are locally processed at the Eco Centre. Excess lake weeds are allowed to go in your organics green cart. Any contaminated carts will be tagged and not collected.