Major changes are coming to residential recycling in Lethbridge this week, as the Alberta Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program shifts into phase 2. Starting Oct. 1, residents can toss previously excluded items—including glass, plastic bags, Styrofoam and more—directly into their household blue bins. “It is a monumental shift for recycling in Lethbridge, so we’re really excited about it,” said James Nicholls, collection manager for the City of Lethbridge. Under the new guidelines, new items being accepted into the bins include: The growing list of items is a result of phase 2 of Alberta’s province-wide EPR program. “The whole program is to incentivize producers to change how packaging is produced and to ensure that most of the things that are being put into the blue cart are actually being brought back for recycling,” explained Nicholls. “The changes that we see in Lethbridge taking effect on Thursday are also taking place across the rest of the province at the same time. “What you see accepted in Lethbridge will be accepted in Calgary, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, the same across the entire province.” The goal, locally, is to stop more items from ending up in the landfill. “Right now, we expect to see, from a weight perspective, upwards of 10 to 15 per cent in terms of diversion from the black cart into the blue cart with these new accepted materials,” said Nicholls. “Again, that’s from a weight perspective, so when you think of things like Styrofoam, that is a volume-heavy product, but not necessarily weight-heavy; we expect to see a volume impact far greater than that.” Since April 2025, EPR has shifted the cost of recycling single-use plastics, paper and packaging products away from municipalities and onto the producers who create them. “This expansion of acceptable recyclables is a significant milestone for Lethbridge residents and reflects the positive impact of Alberta’s EPR framework,” said Mandi Parker, general manager for waste and environment at the City of Lethbridge. “By making recycling simpler and more accessible, we can recover more materials, divert more waste from the landfill and continue building a more sustainable community. “We appreciate the partnership of residents, producers and service providers in helping make this transition a success.” Materials collected in the blue bins will still be taken to the Waste and Recycling Centre for sorting, with some items then being taken to Calgary for processing. Nicholls says a city contract will come to an end, but no city jobs will be lost. He did not say if contracted positions will be impacted. “That facility is going to continue to operate, just in a different manner,” he said. Residents are encouraged to download the Lethbridge Loop app for collection day reminders and a full list of items that can and cannot go in the blue bins.
