New waste carts coming soon to Edmonton
January 6, 2021

The way residents sort and set out waste in Edmonton is changing. As part of the Edmonton Cart Rollout service changes, all single unit and some multi-unit homes will automatically receive a large (240L) garbage cart, a regular-sized (120L) food scraps cart and a small food scraps pail between March and August 2021 at no cost.

New collection services include:
  • A garbage cart that will be collected every two weeks.
  • A food scraps cart that will be collected weekly in spring, summer and fall and every two weeks in the winter.
  • Recycling collected weekly in blue bags with no volume limits.
  • Two seasonal yard waste collections in spring and two in the fall with no volume limits.

If a resident knows they produce less waste, they can request a small (120L) garbage cart at edmonton.ca/waste by February 12. By choosing a small cart, residents will save $3.90/month off the current monthly utility rate starting in October 2021. A garbage cart size calculator is available online to help residents decide on the garbage cart size that works best for their home. An opportunity to exchange garbage cart sizes will be available after cart delivery. 

The carts will be collected by an automated collection truck instead of the current hand collection. Edmontonians can find their cart delivery period, first collection day and new sorting information at edmonton.ca/waste or downloading the WasteWise app. 

“Through two rounds of public engagement, Edmontonians expressed passion for waste management in their city and support for a cart-based system,” said Jodi Goebel, Director, Waste Strategy. “The Edmonton Cart Rollout charts a clear path forward for transformational change for our City and will help us get closer to our overall waste reduction goals.”

In the next few months, the City will launch new programs within the Edmonton Cart Rollout. One is for homeowners with legal secondary suites to have the opportunity to share one set of carts between all suites and save on their monthly utility rate. Residents can apply for the Secondary Suites Cart Sharing program between January 20 and February 12. 

The City will also adjust the existing Assisted Waste collection service for customers who have difficulty getting their waste to the curb or lane. Residents who need the service for the Edmonton Cart Rollout can apply starting February 3. We highly recommend residents apply for the Assisted Waste program two weeks prior to their neighbourhood cart delivery date. There is no additional charge for residents who require these services and applications are available at edmonton.ca/waste.

Guided by the City Council-approved 25-year Waste Strategy, the Edmonton Cart Rollout is the first big step in the City of Edmonton’s journey to accomplish overall waste reduction and 90 per cent waste diversion through a zero-waste framework. As part of the Waste Strategy and new processing facilities that will come onboard this year, the City expects to reach approximately 65 per cent single-unit residential waste diversion by 2023. The new service will modernize Edmonton’s waste management system, help keep utility rates stable, improve collectors’ safety and provide more effective processing. 
For more information:

Media contact:  
Communications Coordinator
Communications and Engagement
780-887-9219