From 1 October 2026, Alberta expanded its residential recycling system to accept additional packaging materials, including foam packaging, across the province.
The change is part of Alberta’s Extended Producer Responsibility system for packaging and paper products.
Circular Materials, the Producer Responsibility Organization responsible for Alberta’s programme, says residents can now recycle the same expanded range of materials across the province through curbside and depot collection systems. Foam packaging is among the newly accepted streams.
The practical implementation can be seen in Calgary. The city has added foam packaging including cushioning blocks, meat trays, takeaway containers and egg cartons to its residential blue-cart and community-depot recycling system.
From collection to recycling
The two sources illustrate different parts of the same system.
Circular Materials establishes the province-wide framework: producers fund the recycling programme, collection is becoming more consistent across Alberta, and newly accepted materials are captured, sorted by material type and sent onward for recycling.
Calgary shows what that means for residents in practice: foam packaging that previously could not enter the normal residential recycling stream can now be placed in household collection.
The case does not establish a recycling rate for EPS. It documents the infrastructure through which eligible foam packaging can now enter Alberta’s recycling system.
That distinction is important. Technical recyclability only becomes recycling in practice when collection, sorting and downstream processing routes are available.
Sources
Circular Materials. “Recycling in Alberta.”
Read the Circular Materials programme information
City of Calgary. “Calgarians Can Recycle More Starting October 1.” 1 October 2026.
Read the City of Calgary announcement
City of Calgary. “Recycle More.”
See Calgary’s accepted-material guidance
