Alberta transitions to extended producer responsibility for single-use packaging and paper products

Alberta has fully transitioned to an extended producer responsibility (EPR) residential recycling program for single-use packaging and paper products (PPP). This marks a major shift in how the province manages and funds recycling. The new system will reduce costs for municipalities and taxpayers and enable a more coordinated, efficient recycling system across the province to improve recycling rates and environmental outcomes.

More Albertans will have access to curbside recycling under the new EPR program 

Under Alberta's EPR framework, the producers that supply single-use packaging and paper products, including familiar consumer brands and retailers Albertans interact with every day, are now financially and operationally responsible for collecting, recycling, and managing these materials.

With this shift, producers now cover approximately $110 million in annual costs that were previously funded by municipalities and taxpayers. The new system is administered by Circular Materials, a not-for-profit producer responsibility organization (PRO) that supports producers in meeting their EPR obligations in jurisdictions across Canada. 

A total of 287 communities will be a part of the program, including 104 communities that will begin receiving curbside recycling service for the first time. Depots will also continue to be an important part of Alberta's recycling system, with more than 500 depots across the province, including 33 community depots receiving PPP recycling bins for the first time. 

"Alberta's transition to extended producer responsibility (EPR) marks a major advancement for recycling and the circular economy in the province," said Allen Langdon, CEO, Circular Materials. "By shifting responsibility for recycling to producers, Alberta is creating a more sustainable and efficient system that will drive investment in recycling infrastructure, improve recycling rates, and help keep valuable resources in circulation. Thank you to government, community partners, and leaders who helped make this milestone a reality."

Starting on October 1, 97 percent of all Alberta communities will be participating in the EPR program, and residents in participating communities will have access to an expanded province-wide list of accepted recyclable materials. Alberta residents will be able to recycle the same and even more materials curbside and at depots no matter where they live across the province, making recycling simpler and more convenient. The province's new recyclable material list will include glass containers, foam packaging, flexible plastic packaging, aerosol containers, and laminated paper and plastic packaging. 

Planned facilities will increase recovery rates and quality for secondary materials

In addition, participating communities will operate under a single-stream recycling system, allowing residents to place all accepted recyclable materials into a single recycling container, making recycling simpler and more convenient. To support the single-stream system and expanded material list, Circular Materials is working with partners to develop preconditioning recycling facilities (PCF) in Edmonton and Calgary, set to open in early 2027. These PCFs will increase material recovery, improve sorting accuracy and material quality, and ultimately ensure more material can be returned to producers for use as recycled content in new products and packaging.

"We are proud to work alongside municipalities, producers, Indigenous communities and service providers to deliver an advanced recycling system that increases recycling rates, reduces waste sent to landfill, and delivers stronger environmental outcomes for Albertans for years to come," says Blaire Gaalaas, managing director, Alberta, Circular Materials. 

"We look forward to delivering an efficient and effective system that will make recycling easier for Albertans, helping to advance a more sustainable future."

"This is an incredible milestone for our province, made possible by partners across government and industry coming together with a shared commitment to building a more robust recycling system and circular economy," said Ed Gugenheimer, CEO of the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA). "Extended producer responsibility is both an environmental and economic opportunity: better managing materials at the end of their life reduces the burden on taxpayers, creates jobs, supports businesses, and attracts investment."

Discover the latest information on EPR and eco-modulation fees impacting the recycling and packcing industries across the U.S. and Canada.