Eco Centre

Cochrane Eco Centre is a self-sorting facility. Attendants are on-site at all times and reserve the right to refuse material due to site capacity restrictions. Our Health and Safety policy restricts scavenging in the yard.  

Cochrane Eco Centre yard waste drop-off

Please sort materials into the appropriate bin and remove from any bags.

  • Grass clippings (April – November)
  • Leaves (April – November)
  • Pumpkins (October/November)
  • Tree trimmings (year-round)
  • Branches (year-round)
  • Christmas trees (January)

Cochrane Eco Centre site rules apply:

  1. The Seasonal Yard Waste program is not available for commercial firms, landscape or maintenance companies.
  2. Tree trimmings and branches must be sorted separately from grass clippings and leaves, and; deposited into the correct bin. Maximum branch/tree diameter is 15 cm.
  3. Yard waste load sizes are limited to 1/2 a level pick up truck load (standard level 8ft box) per user per week due to limited site capacity. The site operator may restrict the acceptance of any load at their discretion if the site capacity is at risk. A reminder that the intention of the Cochrane Eco Centre is to provide recycling drop-off services for small volumes of recyclables; large loads should utilize facilities designed to accommodate large loads such as ECCO, City of Calgary Landfills, Cascades Recovery, Recycling Worx and Capital Paper.

Main Building - OPEN

  • Newspaper & newsprint
  • Mixed paper - coloured paper, wrapping paper, brown paper, envelopes (except bubble), junk mail, magazines, phone books, office paper, shredded paper (loose in the mix paper bin).
  • Plastic bags & film - plastic wrap, plastic film, re-sealable bags, grocery bags, plastic film foam sheets
  • Mixed plastics - plastic jugs & bottles, tubs, pails & clamshell containers, car seats, booster seats
  • Batteries - rechargeable & alkaline household batteries
  • Beverage containers - Pop, beer, water, wine & juice bottles, milk and juice cartons and tetra packs.
  • White packing Styrofoam - white packing foam free of labels & tape accepted.  Up to 2 bags per Cochrane/Rocky View household/business per week.  Attendants may request proof of residency. 

Side Yard - OPEN

  • Clothing & textiles - gently used and clean clothes, blankets, towels, linen and shoes & textiles
  • Fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs - 4 tubes or less are free, after that we charge $0.30/foot, CFL bulbs no charge/no limit.
  • E-Waste - monitors, laptops, printers, faxes, cables, mice, keyboards, TV’s....anything with an electrical cord
  • Food waste composting - Please bring your food waste in a sealed bucket or certified compostable bag and empty into the designated green cubes. No pet waste permitted in these cubes, only food waste is permitted.    
  • Oil waste - used motor oil & transmission fluid up to 40L/week/household 
  • Paint Drop-off - cans and aerosols accepted up to 20L/week/household
  • Hazardous waste - please ensure your chemicals are clearly labelled, sealed and if possible in original containers.  This includes all household chemicals, thermostats, solids, liquids & tanks.

  • Anything with a symbol like this, we will accept, up to 5L/week/householdhazardouswaste

Back of Main Building 

  • Glass bottles & jars - food bottles & jars.  No ceramics, pottery, mirrors, light bulbs or windshields.
  • Car seats - all screws, straps, buckles, metal supports, cushion, fabric & non plastic parts must be removed
  • Cardboard - clean and dry flattened cardboard, corrugated cardboard, boxes & tubes, egg cartons
  • Vehicle batteries - we will take them, please see on-site attendant for drop location
  • BBQ - please remove all hoses, plastics & tank and put in mixed metal bin
  • Mixed metal & tin - tin food cans, tin foil, pie plates, scrap metal, lawn mowers, metal furniture, bike frames
  • Bicycles - Bike frames can go in the metal bin (remove seats, grips, tires, tubes and all non-metal parts)
  • Appliances - fees apply
  • Branches - Tree trimmings and branches go in the branches bin. Maximum branch/tree diameter is 15 cm and length is 1.5 metres limited to 1/2 a level pick up truck load (standard 6 ft box)/user/week due to limited site capacity.

Pay-As-You-Throw Waste Disposal 
Dispose of extra bagged household waste and miscellaneous small waste items (blinds, small rugs, foam etc.) for a small fee of $3 per bag or $30 per truckload. Waste must be contained within a clear or semi-transparent bag to allow the Eco Centre attendant to determine if a bag contains recyclable or organic material. No recyclable or organic material will be accepted in PAYT.  This program runs all year.

For more information on applicable costs, please go to Rate & Fees.

Items not accepted

  • Polystyrene - Styrofoam meat trays, take out containers, peanuts and egg cartons go in the garbage.
  • Needles - Dispose of sharps safely at Cochrane pharmacy locations.  Needles must be in a sealed, puncture proof container with a tight fitting lid.
  • Mattresses or boxsprings - Calgary landfill otherwise re-matt.com recycles them
  • Tires - return tires to your favorite Cochrane retailer or dealership for recycling
  • Furniture - donate if possible, if not it goes to Calgary landfill
  • Water Softener - goes to Calgary landfill
  • Fitness Equipment - treadmills & other large pieces of fitness equipment go to Calgary Landfill
  • Construction waste - fence, drywall, treated wood, cement, etc. goes to Calgary landfill
  • Clean Fill - up to 10Kg’s of sod & soil can go in the green cart, more than that goes to Calgary landfill. Landfill rates will apply
  • Miscellaneous - eyeglasses, pop can tabs.

Seasonal programs

Yard Waste bin OPEN (mid-April/mid-November)

Leaves, grass, non-invasive weeds and garden debris go in the yard waste bin.  There are no bags allowed in this bin.  If you come with bags, please dump the leaves and grass into the bin and either recycle or reuse your bags. The leaves and grass bin is not available for commercial firms, landscape or maintenance companies.  Sod, all forms of mulch and soil need to go to a Calgary landfill.   Landfill rates will apply.

Christmas Trees

We accept natural Christmas trees in the branches bin (no bags).