More than 600 million kilograms of waste recycled in 10 years of blue cart program

The blue cart program has operated in the City of Calgary for the past 10 years and officials say it's been a big help to cut down on waste.

The City of Calgary is celebrating a major milestone this year as 2019 marks 10 years of a city-wide effort to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the landfill.

Over the past decade, Calgarians have used their blue carts to collect paper, plastic, food containers, metal cans and foil and glass bottles and jars on a weekly basis.

"It's great that Calgarians have been using their blue carts so diligently and successfully this past decade. We're happy to see that this is now a regular part of the household routine. It makes a big difference in keeping our communities clean and green," said Sharon Howland, leader of program management, Waste & Recycling Services in a release.

Howland says the process of recycling helps turn old packaging into something new.

Despite the great effort by Calgarians, the city says there is still a great deal of unaccepted material making its way into blue carts. Items like electronics, household batteries and toys are not suitable for blue carts and must be taken to separate drop offs or can be donated.

Officials say 95 per cent of residents use their blue cart on a regular basis and the paper that is accepted in carts saves approximately one million trees each year.