Waste & Recycling

Waste is any material that isn’t organic and can’t be recycled. 

• Regular Bagged household garbage, furnace and water filters, garden hoses 
• Diapers and baby wipes, bandages, dental floss, razors, makeup, toothbrushes, toothpaste, twist ties 
• Non-recyclable packaging, bows, ribbons, Christmas ornaments, hangers (metal and plastic) 
• Mixed material items (e.g., broken toys containing metal, plastic, rubber, cloth) that can’t be separated 
• Balloons, chalk, crayons, felt, gum, tape, photos, chip bags, candy wrappers, plastic straws and cutlery

• Roll it out by 7:00 am
• Leave 1 meter of perimeter space around the cart 
• Close the lid with all items in bags
• Have the wheels of the cart on the curb (front of the house) or wheels of the cart on the edge of the alley 
• Be free of contamination (items in the wrong cart or are not prepared properly

If your cart met all requirements but was not collected, please call us at 403-851-2277 with your name, address, phone number and colour of cart missed.  We will call you back by the next business day.

Excess waste bags are available to purchase for $3.50 each, and they should be left 1 m away from your waste cart on collection day. Or, you can take clear bagged household waste to the Eco centre at $3 per bag. No recycling or organics in the clear bags.

Paper, cardboard and certified compostable bags are allowed in the organics cart.  Look for these two symbols when purchasing your certified compostable bags.

All the material collected in green carts is used to make compost, a valuable material for helping grow plants, enhance Town parks and help nearby family farms and other agriculture operations. It takes about one year to turn organics into compost. We do compost give-away events every Spring, so residents are able to get free compost for their gardens!

• Food and food scraps: if you can eat it, you can toss it in your green cart
• Food-soiled paper: any paper goods that touched food
• Natural fibres like nail clippings, toothpicks, wooden chopsticks, cotton balls and lint
• Pet products like kitty litter, pet fur, feathers and pet waste (in compostable bags only)
• Plant material

Cochrane's organics collection program accepts pet waste as long as it is in compostable bags. 

It’s easy to collect food scraps in the kitchen for your green cart — just use the kitchen catcher provided or any other reusable container like a coffee can or plastic food storage container. When it’s full, dump into your cart!

Paper, cardboard, metal cans and plastics can usually all be recycled. 

• Plastic containers 
• Beverage containers
• Mixed paper and newspaper
• Aluminum/ metal
• Glass containers
• Cardboard
• Shredded paper
• Plastic bags and wrap

1. Break down and flatten boxes, large cans and plastic containers 
2. Empty and rinse containers 
3. Do not bag your recycling

• Roll it out by 7 a.m.
• Leave one metre of perimeter space around the cart 
• Close the lid 
• Have the wheels of the cart on the curb (front of the house) or wheels of the cart on the edge of the alley 
• Be free of contamination (items in the wrong cart or are not prepared properly

If your cart met all requirements but was not collected, please call us at 403-851-2277 with your name, address, phone number and colour of cart missed.  We will call you back by the next business day.

BluPlanet Recycling (BluPlanet) is a sustainability-focused waste services company locally owned and operated company, providing services throughout Calgary and the surrounding area.

After the completion of our previous contract, Cochrane carefully selected BluPlanet Recycling through the RFP process to provide the best possible service for our community and to support Cochrane’s Zero Waste goals. In partnership with BluPlanet, Cochrane will review current pickup routes, recycling practices and education efforts to continuously improve service and reduce waste in the future.

No.  BluPlanet will collect your carts on the same collection day as currently scheduled for your zone. Roll your carts out on your regular collection day by 7 a.m. 

They are white with a green and blue logo.

As Cochrane's partner in waste management, BluPlanet Recycling provides comprehensive curbside cart collection services for residents. These services include:

• Weekly garbage collection
• Weekly recycling collection
• Weekly organics collection (April to November)
• Bi-weekly organics collection (November to April)
• Seasonal curbside Christmas tree collection for two weeks in January

This schedule ensures year-round, efficient waste and recycling services tailored to meet the needs of the community.

Once collected, 

♻️ items picked up from your blue cart are delivered to Environmental 360 Solution where they are sorted into different types of useable materials so they can be made into new products. 

🗑️Garbage is disposed of at the Spyhill Landfill. 

🍂Organic material is composted and in part returned to residents at the annual compost giveaway event in the spring.

Collection trucks are equipped with technology designed to improve waste diversion and service efficiency. 

• Real-time monitoring: GPS tracking and video monitoring provide live updates, ensuring every route is completed and on schedule.
• Smart waste management: Advanced software tracks daily services, monitors routes, and logs issues like missed or untipped carts.
• Proactive problem solving: Access to live and archived data helps identify patterns, optimize routes, and quickly address service challenges.

In coming months, Cochrane staff will use these tools and work with BluPlanet to evaluate the current service model and look for opportunities to improve service delivery, value for service and waste diversion.

The GPS and cameras on collection vehicles capture data such as route details, vehicle speed and timestamped GPS locations. Front, side-facing and hopper cameras record the vehicle’s surroundings (e.g., roads, sidewalks ), similar to dash cams, and bin contents. This footage is used only for quality assurance or resolving issues like missed collections, safety concerns or hazardous materials in bins.

Video is stored temporarily (323 hours for front cameras, 100 hours for hopper cameras) and overwritten automatically unless required for a specific inquiry. Access to this data is restricted to authorized Town of Cochrane and BluPlanet staff, with strict safeguards to prevent misuse. No personal information is supplied to or collected by BluPlanet Recycling.

Sorting reminders focus on safety and compliance, ensuring hazardous materials or contamination do not affect operations or material integrity. Operators can only inspect bins when out for collection without recording personal details.

For more information, contact Cochrane's Waste and Recycling department.