We’re looking forward to a New Year and a new series of environmental-themed articles. For 2026, we’re planning to showcase what we’re doing here in Canada related to green initiatives.
We’re also hoping to re-grow our committee this year. After a few years of steady growth, great engagement and enthusiastic volunteers, we’ve bid (a perhaps temporary) farewell to several committee members who have been blessed with new babies, and others who have moved to Europe. So, we would happily welcome community members who would like to learn more and/or bring some new ideas. Please contact us at [email protected] if you have questions or would like to try out one of our monthly meetings (one hour online).
In the spirit of New Year’s Resolutions, here are some easy tips that can help you with everyday tasks for a greener planet, such as some waste and recycling reminders for the Calgary curbside system.
Recycling Challenges with Lids
Plastic lids from coffee cups and fountain drinks need to go in the garbage, even though they typically have a recycling symbol on them, and the same with domed lids. They’re too small and light to be properly sorted and end up contaminating other materials at sorting facilities. The same goes for those little sauce containers (and their lids) that come with takeout food – no need to rinse them as they need to go in the garbage. Try to remember to bring your reusable mug instead, if you’re going out for coffee, or choose a place with reusable dishes when you have time to stay there.
Lids from larger containers such as yogurt, sour cream, and margarine can be recycled. The general rule is that if the plastic lid is the size of the palm of your hand (about 7.5 cm/3 inches in diameter), it can be recycled. A similar palm-sized rule can be used for metal lids, although since they’re heavier, they can be recycled starting at 5 cm/2 inches in diameter.
Flexible Plastic Film
Global market demand for flexible plastic film is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. However, this material stream also typically has very low recovery rates for recycling; there is definitely room for improvement here. Examples of recyclable films are most plastic bags used for bread and tortilla shells at the grocery store and Ziploc-style bags. The tip is to check if the plastic stretches – if it does, it can be recycled in Calgary when collected together (see below). Crinkly plastic and bags/pouches that don’t stretch cannot currently be recycled here; examples are granola bar wrappers and cereal box liners.
Bubble wrap and similar plastic mailing envelopes can be recycled if you simply cut off any paper mailing labels. However, to avoid these light-weight flexible plastic materials flying around and wreaking havoc with the sorting machines, they need to be combined together into a stretchy bag and closed with a double knot. We usually have an empty potato bag under the sink that we stuff these into, then add to our blue cart when we decide it’s sufficiently full.
Disposal of Small Items
Currently our sorting facilities cannot handle small items, although this is an aspect undergoing further research in Canada. Paper or cardboard smaller than a business card needs to go in the garbage.
Cumulative Transformations
Remember that small changes over a large scale can add up to a major difference! A great example is the cardboard bread bag closures from Bimbo Canada, Canada’s largest and oldest bakery. This company transitioned from using plastic closures to those made from 100% recycled cardboard in 2022 and estimated this would save 200 metric tonnes annually of single-use plastic waste. This product is such a small item, but with the huge number of products sold in Canada, the effect is significant. The cardboard closures are compostable in municipal systems and also help increase the market for recycled paper feedstock. Increasing demand for products made of recycled materials helps close the loop towards a circular economy.
References:
1. https://www.calgary.ca/waste/what-goes-where/default.html
2. https://bimbocanada.com/news/bimbo-canada-transitioning-compostable-cardboard-clips-our-bread-bags
Plastic lids from coffee cups and fountain drinks, along with domed lids, need to go in the garbage (black bin). Credit City of Calgary website.
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