Edmonton Recycling Expands October 1: Coffee Cups, Styrofoam & More Now Accepted

Starting October 1, 2026, Edmonton is expanding what it accepts for curbside recycling. Coffee cups, Styrofoam, takeout containers, and chip bags can now go in your blue bin. It's one of the biggest changes to the city's recycling program in years, and it means less waste heading to the landfill.

What you can now put in the blue bin

Until now, items like disposable coffee cups and Styrofoam trays had no clear recycling path in Edmonton. Most ended up in the garbage. Starting in October, the following items are accepted in curbside recycling:

• Disposable coffee cups and lids from Tim Hortons, Starbucks, McDonald's, and other shops
• Styrofoam containers, meat trays, and foam packaging
• Takeout food containers — plastic, paper, and foam
• Single-use beverage cups from restaurants and fast-food chains
• Chip bags and flexible plastic packaging

These items go in your regular blue bin at the curb. Give them a quick empty first — no need to scrub them spotless, just shake out leftover food and pour out any liquid.

What still goes to the bottle depot

The curbside expansion is separate from Alberta's deposit-return system. Your refundable containers — pop cans, water bottles, juice boxes, beer bottles, milk jugs, wine bottles, and energy drink cans — still carry a deposit and still belong at the bottle depot, not in the blue bin.

Here's a quick breakdown of current deposit values in Alberta:

• Containers under 1 litre: 10 cents each
• Containers 1 litre and over: 25 cents each

When you bring refundable containers to Triple H Southside Bottle Depot, you get 100% of that deposit back. Tossing them in the blue bin means losing that money.

Use October as a clean-out moment

With the new recycling rules kicking in, October is the perfect time to do a full recycling reset at home. Sort through what's been piling up in the garage and kitchen:

• Coffee cups and takeout containers: blue bin (starting October 1)
• Pop cans, water bottles, juice boxes, beer bottles: bag them up for the depot
• Milk jugs and wine bottles: also for the depot
• Styrofoam trays and packaging: blue bin (starting October 1)

The refundable containers are the ones worth money. A family that saves containers for a few months can easily have $30 to $60 worth of refunds sitting in the garage.

We pick up your refundable containers for free

While the new items go in your blue bin, your refundable bottles and cans are worth a trip to the depot — or better yet, a free pickup. Triple H Southside Bottle Depot offers free bottle pickup across Edmonton's south side. We come to you, grab all your bags, sort and count everything at the depot, and send your full refund.

No hauling, no sorting, no waiting in line. Book a free pickup online and we'll handle the rest.

Great timing for fall bottle drives

If you're planning a fall bottle drive for a school, sports team, or community group, use the recycling buzz to boost participation. Remind families that while coffee cups now go in the blue bin, their refundable containers are still worth cash — and your group gets to keep all of it.

Book a free bottle drive pickup with Triple H and we'll pick up everything your group collects. Plus, your group gets free pizza when we pick up.