Alberta’s recycling system expands October 1, bringing more materials and greater access to residents across the province
CALGARY, AB — October 1, 2026 — Albertans now have access to an expanded recycling system, with Phase 2 of Alberta’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program that takes effect today. The expansion will make it easier for residents to recycle more packaging and paper products (PPP), while extending recycling services to communities and households across the province.
The changes are part of Alberta’s transition to a unified recycling system across the province managed by Circular Materials, a not-for-profit Producer Responsibility Organization. Under EPR, producers—not taxpayers—fund the recycling of designated PPP; it shifts the responsibility to product manufacturers to pay the costs of recycling their own packaging and divert material from landfill.
“We commend the Government of Alberta for creating the regulation back in 2022 that has led to the implementation of EPR in the province today,” said Jennifer Koole, Executive Director of the Recycling Council of Alberta. “EPR provides an opportunity for producers to work upstream to design better products and packaging, support reuse, and use less material. It’s about recycling more today while building a system that creates less waste tomorrow.”
The expansion of Alberta’s EPR system brings together increased access to curbside recycling programs, expanded material acceptance of materials in the recycling stream, and improvements in collection and processing of recyclables.
The RCA believes EPR is a key shift to advancing a circular economy. One of the aims of EPR is to regulate producers, which then provides an incentive to change product design for recyclability. The concept of a circular economy involves designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible, and regenerating natural systems. The shift to a circular economy is needed because our current linear economy (take – make – dispose) is unsustainable.
“We would like to recognize all partners and organizations who have worked hard to implement EPR in a relatively short time period,” added Koole. “This includes the Alberta Recycling Management Authority and Circular Materials among the municipalities and service providers that have been negotiating contracts, building infrastructure and putting boots on the ground over the past four years.”
More materials accepted across Alberta
Beginning October 1, residents will be able to recycle more designated materials through participating in curbside and depot programs. The expanded material list includes:
- Glass containers, where they are not currently accepted.
- Foam packaging.
- Flexible plastic packaging.
- Aerosol containers.
- Laminated paper and plastic packaging.
The expanded list is intended to provide greater consistency in what Albertans can recycle, regardless of where they live in the province.
Residents can review the complete list of accepted materials effective October 1, 2026, through Circular Materials’ Alberta Accepted Material List. Residents are encouraged to check their local recycling program information before October 1 for details about collection schedules, accepted materials and any changes to depot services.
Recycling access expands to more communities and households
Phase 2 will extend recycling services to more Albertans, including communities receiving curbside recycling for the first time and registered multi-family residential buildings.
Circular Materials shares that the expansion will provide:
- Recycling services to approximately 97% of Albertans.
- Access to recycling for approximately 1.4 million households.
- Services across 287 communities.
- 206 curbside programs, including 119 new communities receiving curbside recycling. Of these, 104 will receive recycling services for the first time.
- Recycling services for 1,858 registered apartment and condominium buildings.
- Approximately 500 depot locations across Alberta.
This expansion will help reduce barriers to recycling and provide more residents with convenient opportunities to divert valuable materials from disposal.
Under the expanded system, producers will take over recycling from municipalities and contribute approximately $110 million annually toward recycling costs. This funding supports the collection, transportation, sorting and processing of designated materials, helping establish a more sustainable financial foundation for recycling in Alberta.
The packaging, paper and plastics sector also makes a significant contribution to the provincial economy. In 2025, PPP-related activity:
- Contributed more than $160 million to Alberta’s GDP.
- Generated approximately $75 million in wages.
- Contributed $10.1 million in taxes.
- Sustained approximately 1,230 full-time equivalent jobs.
These figures demonstrate the economic activity associated with Alberta’s packaging and paper products sector and the people and businesses involved in collecting, processing and recovering materials making the phase 2 roll out, and EPR in general, a win-win-win opportunity for Alberta’s citizens, environment, and economy. *source: https://files.albertarecycling.ca/ARMA_Annual-Report_2025-2026.pdf
https://files.albertarecycling.ca/Study_EY-May2026-ARMA-Economic-Impact-Report.pdf
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About the Recycling Council of Alberta
The Recycling Council of Alberta is a not-for-profit organization that champions circular thinking and works to advance waste reduction, resource recovery and the circular economy. Through collaboration, education and knowledge sharing, RCA supports organizations and communities in developing solutions that keep resources in use and waste out of the system.