Lethbridge residents can place glass, plastic bags, Styrofoam and other previously excluded materials in household blue bins starting Oct. 1. The expansion is part of phase 2 of Alberta’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program, with the same changes taking effect across the province on Thursday, including in Calgary, Grande Prairie and Edmonton.

“It is a monumental shift for recycling in Lethbridge, so we’re really excited about it,” said James Nicholls, the City of Lethbridge’s collection manager. The city says the expanded list is meant to keep more waste out of landfills. Nicholls estimates that, by weight, 10 to 15 per cent of material could shift from black carts to blue carts under the new rules.

“Again, that’s from a weight perspective, so when you think of things like Styrofoam, that is a volume-heavy product, but not necessarily weight-heavy; we expect to see a volume impact far greater than that,” Nicholls said. The city has not provided a complete list of the newly accepted materials in the information announcing the change.

The province-wide program is intended to encourage producers to change their packaging and ensure more material placed in blue carts is recycled. “The whole program is to incentivize producers to change how packaging is produced and to ensure that most of the things that are being put into the blue cart are actually being brought back for recycling,” Nicholls said. He said the new acceptance rules in Lethbridge will match those in other Alberta communities.

Since April 2025, EPR has moved the cost of recycling single-use plastics, paper and packaging products from municipalities to the producers that make them. Mandi Parker, the City of Lethbridge’s general manager for waste and environment, called the expansion a milestone for residents and a sign of the framework’s impact.

“By making recycling simpler and more accessible, we can recover more materials, divert more waste from the landfill and continue building a more sustainable community,” Parker said. “We appreciate the partnership of residents, producers and service providers in helping make this transition a success.”

Blue-bin materials will continue to go to the Waste and Recycling Centre for sorting. Some materials will then be transported to Calgary for processing. Nicholls said a city contract will end, but there will be no loss of city jobs; he did not say whether contracted positions could be affected.

“That facility is going to continue to operate, just in a different manner,” Nicholls said. Residents can use the Lethbridge Loop app for collection-day reminders and a complete list of items that are and are not accepted in blue bins.

Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.