Recycling

Recycling logoPreparing your recyclables

  • Recycling is collected every week on your collection day.
  • Recycling may be collected at a different time than the organics or waste.
  • There is no limit to the amount of recyclables you can leave out for collection.
  • Paper recycling is taken to a different facility to be recycled than the clear blue bags. The collection truck has a divider in the centre to keep these items separated.

Sort into two groups: paper and containers
Materials for recycling need to be sorted and packaged into two separate groups as they are taken to two separate facilities. The collection truck is divided in the centre to keep these items separated.

Paper products (fibre)

Place paper products in a reusable bag or container with handles. Paper recycling is emptied into the divided section of the truck closest to the opening. All our paper products are sent to a regional company, Cascades Recovery Inc, where they are made into other paper products such as cardboard, pulp and gypsum paper. Residents are encouraged to use a reusable bag or container (such as an old garbage can) for paper recyclables as it is helpful to the recycling collector. You will require a sticker to be placed on the container to indicate that it is recycling. A sticker is enclosed in the the reusable bag at delivery time. Additional stickers are available free of charge at:

  • County Hall, 2001 Sherwood Drive, Sherwood Park
  • Millennium Place, 2000 Pembina Drive, Sherwood Park
  • Strathcona Public Services Yard, 370 Streambank Avenue, Sherwood Park
  • Heartland Hall contact office, 55305 Range Raod 214

Cardboard must be flattened and each piece must be no larger than 0.3 m x 1 m (3 feet by 1 foot). Any cardboard that can't be folded down can be brought to Strathcona's recycling stations.

The maximum weight of each container filled with paper products is 25 kg (50 lbs.). Please ensure that if you have more than this amount of paper that you use two or more containers.

  • box board (cereal, Kleenex, cracker boxes, etc.)
  • cardboard, flattened (can be placed underneath the bag or container)
  • catalogues cereal and other food boxes
  • coffee cups (rinsed)
  • coloured paper
  • computer paper
  • corrugated cardboard, flattened (can be placed underneath the bag or container)
  • detergent boxes (emptied)
  • envelopes (with or without platic window)
  • flyer inserts
  • glossy paper
  • greeting cards
  • junk mail
  • ice cream cartons, rinsed   
  • laundry detergent boxes (emptied
  • magazines
  • milk cartons (rinsed and flattened)
  • newspaper
  • paper bags
  • paper egg cartons
  • paper napkins, plates, cups (clean)
  • paper products
  • phone books
  • photos
  • Post-it notes
  • shoe boxes
  • shredded paper
  • tissue boxes
  • wrapping paper(no foil)  

Containers
Must be rinsed and placed in clear blue plastic bags available at grocery and hardware stores. The clear blue bags are tossed to the far side of the divided section of the truck. The bag allows the collector to ensure the container recyclables are not mixed into the section with the paper products. Our container recyclables from our blue bag currently goes to a local materials recovery facility (MRF).

  •  aluminium cans - rinsed
    (beverage, soup, vegetable etc.)
  •  aluminium containers - rinsed
    (pie plates, take out containers)
  •  baby bottle liners - rinsed
  •  bottle caps
  •  bread bags
  •  cereal plastic liner
  •  cheese wrapper (clean)
  •  cookie bag
  •  dry cleaning bags
  •  flower pots, plastic (rinsed)
  •  fruit and bakery plastic containers
  •  garden containers/potting cups (cleaned)
  • glass jars and bottles - rinsed
  •  ice cream pails - rinsed
  •  lids (plastic bottle and glass bottle)
  •  medicine bottles (clean)
  •  milk jugs, plastic (rinsed)
  •  plant pots, plastic (rinsed)
  •  plastics #1 to #7 grade
  •  plastic bags including grocery bags
  •  plastic bottles - rinsed
  •  plastic containers - rinsed
    (yogurt, margarine, cottage cheese, etc.)
  • plastic film or wrap (with or without label)
  •  plastic milk jugs - rinsed
  •  plastic utensils (rinsed)
  •  pop bottles (or bring to a bottle depot)
  • saran wrap
  • shampoo bottles (rinsed)
  •  Styrofoam egg cartons
  •  Styrofoam meat trays (rinsed)
  •  Styrofoam packaging
  •  Styrofoam plates and cups, clean
  •  tin cans
  •  tetra-paks
  •  wine cork (plastic)
  •  ziplock bags (rinsed)

If you have questions about what items are acceptable, call us or view the A to Z list.

Blue bags can be purchased at the following stores:

  • Home Depot
  • Home Hardware
  • Sobey's on Wye Road and Baseline Road
  • Save-On-Foods on Wye Road and Baseline Road
  • Superstore
  • Safeway on Wye Road and the Mall
  • Totem on Baseline
  • Rona on Baseline
  • Wal-Mart
  • Zellers

Quantity and availability of bags may vary by store.

Winnifred Stewart, a local non-profit association, sells both compostable and blue bags. Call 780-451-5142 or visit their website for more details. 

If you notice another location that should be added, please let us know and we will add it to the list.

What happens to all of our recyclables once they leave the curb?
The economic downturn affects all of us - even the recycling industry. As a result of world-wide circumstances, some recyclable materials, such as Styrofoam and some plastics (plastic film, packaging etc.) are currently not being made into new products. Some items are being stockpiled and stored for future use. Markets for turning these items into new products are currently unavailable. The Utilities department is continually looking for new opportunities to ensure that recycling and waste diversion is maximized. We are constantly working with local recyclers to discuss new innovations and solutions.Please continue to separate these products as you have been, put them into your clear blue plastic bag.

Our container recyclables from our clear blue bag currently goes to a local materials recovery facility (MRF). The containers are separated into appropriate streams, metal cans, glass, mixed plastics, milk jugs and plastic bottles with screw top lids. Aluminium cans are made into new cans. Did you know there is no limit to the amount of times an aluminium can can be recycled? Also recycling one aluminium can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours!

Plastic bottles are sent to be made into new products such as detergent bottles, buckets, flower pots and roll-out carts (the carts used in Strathcona County have over 60 per cent post-consumer materials). Glass is made into new glass bottles or can be ground up and used in road construction materials. The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle instead of making a new one can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours!

All our paper products are sent to a regional company, Cascades Recovery Inc. Cascades has a paper recovery facility where the paper is made into other paper products such as box board, cardboard, pulp, gypsum paper, roofing felt and other recycled paper. Did you know that each tonne of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water? In 2010 we recycled 4,533 tonnes of paper products. That's a lot of trees!

For further information:
780-449-5514 

Last updated: Thursday, December 22, 2011
Page ID: 2203

County Hall: 2001 Sherwood Drive, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada T8A 3W7