Waste Services

• Cart Placement on collection day

  

  • Place carts with wheels touching curb
  • Ensure carts are at least one metre (3 feet) from parked vehicles and fixed objects
  • Leave enough space for you to walk around the carts

  

  • Set the carts at the edge of back lane and allow one meter (3 feet) from any obstruction behind the cart (e.g. fence)
  • Carts must NOT block lanes or roads
  • Carts will NOT be collected from enclosures

  

  • All carts must be placed out for collection no later than 7a.m. on your collection day
  • Lids closed
  • Carts must be returned to your property at the end of day

   

  Learn about Keeping your property safe

• Collection day - Tips

  More waste collection videos can be found on the Education & Resources page.

Seasonal Waste Programs

• Christmas Tree Collection

  Every year the Town collects and chips hundreds of Christmas trees to keep them out of the landfill. To ensure your tree gets chipped, watch for set-out and chipping dates to be announced in mid-December each year. 

  Here are a few important rules to follow to ensure your tree gets collected:

  • Place your tree out at your regular collection area no later than the announced cut-off date.
  • Lay tree on its side.
  • Trees in bags, or with ornaments, tinsel, wires, or plastic etc. will not be picked up or accepted at the chipping site. 
  • Small  trees can be cut up and placed in the green organics cart.
  • Town crews go from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and may not be in your area on the same day as your waste collection day. That's why it's important to have your tree out by the cut-off date.
  • Real/cut pine boughs, wreaths etc. should be placed in your green organics carts IF all decorative items (bows, wires, plastic baubles etc.) have been removed. If wreaths are wrapped around metal wiring or frames they must be deconstructed to separate tree pieces from metals and plastics. If that can’t be done, the wreaths must go in your garbage cart.
• Free Compost Giveaway

  Twice each year, the Town makes free compost available to the public. Quantities are limited, and available on a first-come, first-served basis until the compost is gone. Dates fluctuate but are usually in May and October of each year. 

  The Town will have FREE compost available at the Eco Centre on April 19, 2022. 

  Just bring your shovel, a pail and transportation to self-haul your free compost home. 

  Residents are responsible for loading compost into their own vehicle. 

  The compost pick-up area is located at the east side of the Eco Centre parking lot (left of the main entrance gate).

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I prevent my organics from freezing to the cart?

  If the contents of your cart are freezing to the inside or getting stuck, collectors may be unable to fully empty them. The following tips may help:

  • Strain excess liquid out of wet, compostable material
  • Wrap kitchen waste in newspaper, a paper bag or already soiled paper (such as paper towel) to absorb moisture
  • Wrap and freeze material in your freezer and then place it in the organics cart immediately before collection so it can fall out easily
  • Line your cart with dry materials such as a paper bag
  • Layer kitchen organics with soiled paper or newspaper
  • Avoid pushing down or compacting materials in the cart

  If you find that material has frozen inside your cart, wait for warmer temperatures to thaw the material out. Try placing your cart in sunlight if possible and use a stick to loosen the stuck items.

  It's also a good idea to place your organics cart at the curb for all scheduled collections, even if it’s not full. This will also help prevent material from becoming too frozen to fall out.

• What goes where in my black garbage, green organics and blue recycling cart?

  Do you know how to properly dispose of your waste? Use our What Goes Where searching tool. Type the name of an item and we'll tell you how.  A lot of your waste can be diverted from the landfill. It's easy!

  1. Type in the item you want to dispose of: candy wrapper, computer, paper, Styrofoam, paint, batteries etc.
  2. Hit the search button!

  You can also access the Waste Wizard directly from the Town's Mobile Waste App!

  Download the Mobile App

• When is my garbage, organics and recycling collected?

  Black garbage and blue recycling carts are collected weekly on the same day of the week year-round. 

  Green organics carts are picked up:

  • every week from May to the end of October,
  • and every two weeks from November to the end of April

  Some exceptions occur on statutory holidays. 

  All carts must be out by 7 a.m.

  Use the online collection schedule to find your collection day. Using just your address, access your own personalized schedule and sign up for reminders. 

  Download the free Okotoks Waste app to get instant access to your garbage, recycling and organics information in the palm of your hand, including your schedule. 

        

• Can I use bags or liners inside my cart?

  Green cart (organics)

  Contents can be placed loose inside the cart without using a bag or liner. A paper bag is optional.

  Animal waste and bedding are the exceptions: they must be placed in a paper bag inside the green cart. 

  Blue cart (recyclables)

  Do NOT use a bag or liner. Contents must be loose, not bagged or bundled.

  The following items are exceptions:

  • Shredded paper must be placed in a transparent bag inside the blue cart.
  • Plastic bags, plastics wrap and bubble wrap must be bundled into one plastic bag and tied closed.

  Black cart (garbage)

  All garbage placed into the black cart must be bagged. 

• Why can't I bag recyclables?

  The material needs to be loose to be sorted by the machines. For the safety of workers, tied bags are assumed to be garbage and are never opened.

  Shredded paper and plastic bags are hand-sorted for recycling; transparent bags make them easy to identify and grab.

• How are recyclables sorted at recycling facilities?

  Watch this video to learn about how recyclables are sorted at recycling facilities.

• My cart is damaged/missing. How can I have it repaired or replaced?

  If your cart is damaged or missing, please fill out the online Report a Missed/Damaged Cart form.

  Please allow a maximum of five business days to complete your change request. 

  If you have any questions please contact Waste Services using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

• I purchased a new home, how do I get a garbage, organics and recycling cart?

  To have carts delivered to your new home, fill out the online Request services - New Owner form. Once this form is filled out Waste Services is notified that carts need to be delivered. Your carts will be delivered within 5 business day of your possession date, and collection service will start immediately once you've received your carts.

  If you have any questions please contact Waste Services using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

• Is it safe to put animal waste into the green cart?

  • Our program accepts pet waste and kitty litter in the green cart. During the composting process, the material is heated to temperatures at which any harmful bacteria is killed. Strict testing is conducted to ensure the compost is safe to use.
  • Animal waste must be in a paper bag before placing it in the green cart.
  • Please do not use plastic or biodegradable bags because these bags do not break down during the composting process and will reduce the quality of the finished compost.
• How will I know what week to put out my green cart when it is bi-weekly from November to April?

  • Use the online collection schedule to help you remember your waste collection day. By typing in your address, you can access your own personalized Collection Schedule. 
  • Import your personalized Collection Schedule to your online iCal, Outlook or Google Calendar.
  • View, download (PDF), or print your personalized Collection Schedule.
  • Sign up for personalized reminders by email, voicemail or Twitter.
  • Make it even easier and download the Okotoks Waste Mobile App!